SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums Club Soccer & ODP Lexington Field Policy

There have been multiple threads in which the Lexington field policy has been discussed or questioned. Here's an article concerning the policy:

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/5861151.htm

Posted on Thu, May. 15, 2003

Only local teams will be allowed to use soccer fields
By JOEY HOLLEMAN
Staff Writer

With the opening in the past year of new soccer facilities in Lexington and West Columbia, Lexington County has become a magnet for soccer teams.

But that can create problems when leagues, or individual teams, from outside the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission's tax district want to play on the fields. So the commission is working on a policy to give local teams priority on the facilities at Pine Grove and Gibson Road.

Under the policy recommended to the commission at its monthly meeting May 7, the agency will work with the Lexington County United Soccer Association to schedule use of the fields. The soccer association is made up of the leagues currently using county fields - Batesburg-Leesville Youth Sports, Pineview/Pine Grove Soccer Club, Lexington Soccer Club, Lexington County Girls Soccer Association, Lexington Recreation Soccer Club and Swansea Soccer Club.

No currently intact teams from outside those organizations would be allowed to practice or play games on the fields. That means Classic level teams from the Irmo or Columbia areas won't be allowed to use the fields.

Jay Criscione, executive director of the recreation commission, said the only exceptions would be areas bordering the county that don't have leagues of their own within 25 miles of their homes. He doesn't want children from lower Saluda County or northern Calhoun County to be shut out.

In another case where popularity of a program is creating problems, the commission discussed a new policy for the senior exercise class at Tri-City Leisure Center. Limited to 75 people, the free Seniorcize class often is packed, and those who arrive late are shut out.

Criscione said he originally planned to solve the problem by charging $20 a month for the class, but protests from seniors forced him to look for another solution.

Now he's planning to offer a separate class for the seniors who participate in the congregate meal program at the center. That class, limited to 25 people, should reduce the demand on the larger Seniorcize class.

Also, the Seniorcize class will be limited to 60 people, with registration once each quarter. The registration process should eliminate Richland County residents who take advantage of the free class instead of paying for similar classes at the Capital Senior Center in Columbia, Criscione said.

Both the soccer and senior exercise policies are proposals that haven't been finalized.

In other action at the May 7 meeting, commissioners expressed concern about a proposal by the town of Lexington to build an outdoor skateboard park on recreation commission land and then turn it over to the commission to operate. They would rather either give the town a long-term lease to the land and let the town run the facility or ask the town to build an enclosed facility where access could be more easily controlled.

Criscione also updated the commission on plans for improvements at Gaston Park. Local officials have requested tennis courts, a modern kitchen, restrooms and new playground equipment for the park. Criscione said the agency can't afford the tennis courts or kitchen, but it plans to spend nearly $40,000 on new restrooms and will apply for a state grant for the playground equipment.

It is interesting that the girls' classic club in Lexington was left out of this article. Lexington County Girls Soccer Association is an all rec club that is not affiliated with SCYSA.

The girls' classic club has been known as Sandhills Girls Soccer for the last two years. The absence of any mention of them as part of the Lexington County United Soccer association is quite curious.

Thanks Coach P for pointing out that the Lexington County Girls Soccer Club (formly Sandhills Girls Soccer) was left out of the newspaper article today. It is quite merely an oversight.

Kevin Heise: Why is CRSA not included in the Lexington County United Soccer Association and allowed to use the county fields? Isn't CRSA based in the area served by the Lexington County Recreation Commission?

CarolinaFC is based in Lexington.

So, although the article says they are not allowing clubs from Irmo and Columbia to use the fields, they are also excluding Lexington County based clubs that aren't part of the Lexington County United Soccer Association such as CRSA and CFC.

Does anyone know what is the charter and purpose of the Lexington County United Soccer Association? In reality, what does this alliance do besides secure public property fields for the exclusive use of it's member clubs? Is it an exclusive association? Is it open to other Lexington County Soccer clubs such as CRSA and CFC?

Coach P - Thanks for asking! It is true that CRSA is being "locked out" of this despite more than 50% of our membership hailing from Lexington County. Negotiations are being pursued via councilmen, legislators, and city representatives. Any assistance or emails to those in power can only help our cause, so please feel free to contact them in regards to our plight.

Here is a copy of the letter that I submitted to the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission:

Date: May 15, 2003
To: John J. Criscione, Executive Director & Alvin Kelley, Athletic Director – Lexington County Recreation & Aging Commission
Re: Cayce-West Columbia Soccer Facility

Gentlemen,

I read with great interest the article in The Neighbor's section of The State newspaper today concerning the soccer fields under jurisdiction of the Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission.

The one paragraph that jumped out at me stated "Jay Criscione, executive director of the recreation commission, said the only exceptions would be areas bordering the county that don't have leagues of their own within 25 miles of their homes.He doesn't want children from lower Saluda County or northern Calhoun County to be shut out." This demanded my reply via email and attached letter.

I live in Cayce-West Columbia and pay taxes in Lexington County – much more so than those residents that live in Saluda or Calhoun counties – but we (C-WC soccer aficionados – coaches, players, parents, etc.) are being "shutout" from facilities that we help fund. We are being excluded from use of these facilities due to the fact that our classic league soccer club – the Congaree Rapid Soccer Association – was formed when there were no alternatives in our community to facilitate a quality “high school aged” club soccer program 10 years ago. Now that there are complexes that we could utilize in our county, we are being restricted from use based on the fact that we are not under the LCRAC new soccer umbrella (Lexington County United Soccer Association - LCUSA). This is neither equitable nor fair.

Unfortunately our area, specifically in the Brookland-Cayce High School attendance area, has been void of quality recreational facilities for more than 20 years now. The defunct youth soccer field at “B” Avenue, the neglected parcel at Wilkinson Field adjacent to Spires Gym, the antiquated facility at Pineview, and the poorly constructed "soccer/football fields" behind the new Northside Middle School stand as testaments to how the C-WC area has been perceived by Lexington County and the LCRAC. These facilities, a term that I use lightly, pale in comparison to outstanding efforts made elsewhere by the county at the Pine Grove, Gibson Road and Old Barnwell Road soccer facilities in recent years.

If LCRAC truly valued this segment of their constituents, then at least the fields at Northside Middle School would have reflected this commitment to equality and excellence throughout Lexington County, especially since this is the only new development in the last two decades in this vicinity. The NMS athletic fields resemble two hills created by clearing land for the school building and simply left as being serviceable. The grading is awful and the pitch is beyond poor. However, the baseball fields just above NMS at Howard Park reflect a concerted effort of resources – money, material, design, etc. This modern and attractive baseball park represents another example of how soccer in Cayce-West Columbia is treated by the county – build a nice park for baseball, but simply leave an open patch of land and put some homemade goals on it and call it a soccer field. I realize that Howard Park replaced old Mohawk Park due to Riverbanks Zoo expansion, and justifiably so, but this is a glaring discrepancy towards how youth soccer is viewed in C-WC.

Had there been a real plan to reflect excellence, instead of opting for the “just build something there so that we can say that we did when someone complains” routine, this would not have happened. The most discouraging part of this is the fact that one of the earliest artist’s rendering of a projected new school (that’s now on display at NMS) is a beautiful green soccer field behind the school. This picture offered hope to us several years ago for quality fields in the area and now only serves as a disappointment in wasted resources and lost developmental time for our players. I wish that LCRAC and Lexington School District Two would take joint steps to improve the quality of these fields and allow for recreational and classic clubs to utilize the facility.

I sincerely hope that LCRAC has the Cayce-West Columbia area targeted as the primary recipient of a quality recreational facility in the very near future. There are numerous sites in the C-WC area that would be ideal for expansion and would meet the needs of our citizens. Such areas include (but are not limited to): (1) New Busbee Middle School off of 12th Street Extension, (2) Old Busbee Middle School, (3) Old Columbia Speedway, (4) Bray Park expansion in lower entrance way, (5) Additional SCE&G, Lexington County, City of Cayce property towards I-77 & 12th Street Extension growth areas.

I am open to discussion and would like to be actively involved in the planning and development of quality youth soccer facilities in the Cayce-West Columbia communities. Please feel free to contact me in regards to this matter.

Sincerely,

Kevin Heise
Head Boys Soccer Coach, Brookland-Cayce High School
Director of Coaches, Congaree Rapid Soccer Association

Ok Guys and Gals,
First off I know that it was an over site about the girls classic they are included. Second off I was under the understanding that CFC and CSC were merging coach p so why even try to stir things up with mentioning them. If they merge then they are no longer a Lexington based club if they truly are now. Second off why is every one trying to fight with each other over these fields if CSRA wants access then why can’t they merge with LEX. I know the answer every one things they can run clubs better then the next guy. What everyone is going to find is that the more mess that is made over this the more tempted the REC commission will be to only allow Rec teams to use them. And the sad thing is that I believe that would make all the other clubs but the Lexington ones happy. It is the, if I can’t have it either can you syndrome. So lets be adults and work together . If we all put the attention to coaching and training the players that we do to complaining and fighting then we would be able to compete with any club in the state.

Outsider: My problem is simply this: I pay my share of taxes in Lexington county as much as anyone in the clubs affiliated with the Lexington County United Soccer Associatiton. Why should their children have more right to use the fields than mine?

Coach P---It all boils down to choices. If you feel that strongly then why not allow your children to play for one of the Lexington Clubs. All children/students in Lexington County are invited to participate in the tryouts.

I am well aware that the need for soccer facilities in central Lexington/Richland counties has been needed for some time and it puzzles me as to why the LCARC has focused on the areas of Batesburg-Leesville and Swansea along with non-county areas Saluda and Calhoun County to promote youth soccer. What ever happened to the areas that have fought tooth-and-nail for years for just one soccer field or complex in a vicinity to serve four high schools: Airport; B-C; Lexington; and White Knoll?

I was fortunate enough to have a son (though a resident of Richland County) go through the ranks of CRSA and would definitely throw my support behind them as for "how to run a club" that our new guest, "outsider" feels is the central issue. But let me point out what is the central issue, playing space!

Those clubs that have it prosper, the ones that don't will continue their nomadic lives. I am all for the efforts of including the organizations that the Lexington County United Soccer Association has focused on, but why didn't Jay C. and the folks at LCRAC consult the people that deal with youth soccer on a daily basis? Don't tell me they did, because today's article is the first I've heard of any "proposal" and I like to think I pay attention to these sort of things.

After doing some research this evening, it's been brought to my attention that the main goal of this proposal is that LUSA is to ensure that Lexington School District residents of 1-2-3-4 are granted first right on the refusal of play and that "recreation soccer" is to be the point of emphasis. What?????

As of tonight there doesn't even exist a LUSA Board, so who do you pitch this to? Jay C.? Council reps? The approved clubs? WHO???

The days of going from Caughman Road one night to Lynnhaven Field one day and over to Hand Middle School are long past and something needs to be done to promote and support ALL youth soccer needs. I read earlier this week in The State that only 1,100 players participated in youth football this past fall, but those numbers were reflected as 5,200 players in youth soccer. Where is the equity?

So, what to do? I'll make phone calls and write letters, but what good will it do if clubs have already been shutout of the process. I didn't even know BL and Swansea had soccer clubs and the new boys classic league in Lexington sounds more like a "cover up" than anything else. Come clean and show your hands LCRAC!!!

Breezin: Yes it is about choices and I feel that I should be able to have my child play for any private club she chooses without losing the right to use public facilities while other private clubs get to use them. What I feel strongly about is that certain private clubs should not control public facilities paid for by tax money to the exclusion of others.

You said "All children/students in Lexington County are invited to participate in the tryouts". I know that kids from outside of Lexington County play on these teams and that they take "outside" players while excluding or "cutting" local players. This happened to one of my daughters.

Coach P.. If you are talking about "classic soccer" here as opposed to "rec soccer", and I think you are, then the one thing you seem to be missing is that your daughter can choose whatever she wants, but in "classic soccer" she has to "make the team". If she was cut out, as you claim, then perhaps she just did not have the skill to play at that level for the team she was trying out for. I know she would not have be cut if she wanted to play rec soccer at Lexington. Bottom line is if anyone want their children to be able to play at the Lexington facility, then they should play "for" a Lexington club.

Coach P. First off you are taking this to personally. second off you can take your family to the feilds for fun. But not teams from all over.

About this mess calling the lexington clubs private organizations, I have heard that the DOR is takeing the clubs under there wing and that takes this arguement of being private and sends it out the window. If there wasn't such big egos involved with sports adminstration and coaching this would not even be an issue. I am sure all the Lexington clubs are open to players from all over Lex county and I am sure they are wanting coaches and people to help with the running of the clubs. So lets stop this baby stuff and work as a team and make it work best for all PLAYERS (not coachs and egos).

Outsider: I agree with you that it should be about the players and not adult egos who must control the fields in some sort of fiefdom. But that is what we have had in the Lexington area for the last 10 years. The way they have excluded CSRA during that time is evidence of this.

I was involved with both the classic and rec girls clubs in Lexington as coach and board member for 4 years. I am very familiar with the way they have been run. The only relationship these clubs had to the county was for use of facilities. All of their decisions are made by private boards which do not report to the DOR. Unless this has changed, THEY ARE PRIVATE CLUBS. The coed rec program is the only one that has been under the auspices of the DOR.

Lexfan: My comment was not about my daughter's situation. That was an example. The point was that they do have player's from outside the Lexington DOR area, even to the exclusion of local players. Yet other clubs with "outside" players are excluded from using the fields even if 50% or more of the players are from the area. Example: CRSA

I don't know enough about this issue to comment intelligently, but I have a plan: I will hit the big, fat lottery like the guy in Charlotte who just won $88 million. I will buy premium acres wherever it is available and donate it to the Cola area for primary use for NECSA and CRSA (if they will merge). Then LSC can do its Rec. thing and CSC can stay secluded out at Ballentine. But I will do this with one condition: that the Fields are named in my honor and A TREMENDOUS, BIG FAT NEON SIGN is posted at the entrance with my name and picture! Will this solve the whole argument over the need for fields in the area?? I will let everyone here in this forum know first as soon as I get my lump sum check.

Coach P before you start saying things you should research the clubs now. The Lex clubs now talk with the county often and are also being run differently then they ever have been. I know the girls club has been reorganized. and is under new management.
also it sounds like you are bitter about not being with that club any longer. There is absolutely no reason that you would have jumped on the CSRA band wagon with out a vendetta. Did you not also try to force your way onto the fields with CFC? If you have a personal tiff with Lex then deal with that personally not through another person. Also what is happening here Is that all this arguing is going to negatively impact the players. They will see coaches with dislike for others and they will take that out on the field. And secondly this is really going to hurt the players because the county is going to get tired of all this crap and will nicely tell all clubs other then the REc boys and girls for lex to find fields else where.

I know Kevin wants more fields to help his club grow, but to do this will just hurt about 25 teams of classic player and give them no fields, and not open any extra fields up for his club. So coaches that are trying to run this into the ground I hope you have come up with what you will tell all the players.

Coach P. about your involvement with this mess. If you are out to get the club or a person in the club take it out with them personally and don’t hide.

>>[outsider] The Lex clubs now talk with the county often and are also being run differently then they ever have been.<<

In order to tone down the emotionally charged and rapidly evolving ad hominem tone that seems to be developing here, perhaps you could state in more detail the new relationship between the “Lexington clubs” * and the county – what discussions are occurring beyond field usage? Also what might be tremendously helpful would be any and all detail you could provide concerning your statement that the “Lexington clubs” are being run differently – specifically how are they being run differently?

Thanks to all for your impassioned discussion concerning this subject!

* I am using quotation marks not to make a point, but because there’s been dispute about what a “Lexington club” is and that's not the point of this message.

For those interested in the theoretical underpinnings of what's being discussed in this thread.

http://dieoff.org/page109.htm

Sibumi,
ad hominem???

Sorry...

ad hominem: against the person

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ad-hominem.html

This will be my last post on this particular thread.

I believe my comments have been misunderstood. I have not meant anything personally toward anyone. I am not bitter. I went to coach at CFC because that is where my daughter chose to play and because I strongly support many of the principles that CFC represents.

The only reason I posted on this subject is that I firmly believe it is WRONG for a small group of people to control taxpayer public property while excluding others. I am not bitter, but I am passionate about this belief.

[The more I read outsider’s most recent message the more confused I became; I’m sure because there are just some things I don’t understand. I’m writing this note because I’m hoping that someone out there can help me with this. I’d like to urge, and even beg, outsider and Coach P and anyone else to clarify what I am missing here.]

>>There is absolutely no reason that you would have jumped on the CSRA band wagon with out a vendetta. Did you not also try to force your way onto the fields with CFC? If you have a personal tiff with Lex then deal with that personally not through another person.<<

In order to get past all of this stuff, let’s imagine for a moment that I want to start the SSC – the Shibumi Soccer Club -- to fill a void I currently see out there in all of the clubs in the mid-state – I want to start a regionally and nationally competitive club for boys and girls that will play other clubs, and university teams, in the Fall and the Spring, and beat them by a tremendous margin. I go to Shibumi Corporation and it provides a revenue stream that allows me to get a coaching staff that is better than anything in the US. And let’s imagine that the SSC is made up of 100% Lexington County soccer players. Why can’t SSC be a part of the Lexington Unified Soccer Association and get a chance to be fairly allocated fields?

Please note that I’m not starting a club because I simply think I can run a club better than the next person, and I’m not trying to duplicate the mission of any other club. I am legitimately starting a club that has a different mission than any other club in Lexington. So what have I done wrong and how am I hurting others?

>>Also what is happening here Is that all this arguing is going to negatively impact the players. They will see coaches with dislike for others and they will take that out on the field.<<

Wait a minute. You mean if we tell everyone to shut up, grin and bear it, regardless of what they think or how they feel – that this is going to be a healthier environment in which to play? I am completely confused by this remark – please explain!

>>And secondly this is really going to hurt the players because the county is going to get tired of all this crap and will nicely tell all clubs other then the REc boys and girls for lex to find fields else where.<<

Help me out here. Your theory is that if this is discussed on a message board, that the county is then going to deny services to any and all Lexington parents – you know, the people that pay the taxes -- that instead of playing recreation play classic? Where did this come from? And why would Lexington County cut out only recreation or only classic? There are a lot of stupid responses that Lexington County could make – why is this the one that they would make – if they’d make a stupid response at all?

>>I know Kevin wants more fields to help his club grow, but to do this will just hurt about 25 teams of classic player and give them no fields, and not open any extra fields up for his club. So coaches that are trying to run this into the ground I hope you have come up with what you will tell all the players.<<

I’m so ignorant, that I don’t even know who Kevin is – but I’m sure he’s a great guy. But I don’t think it’s germane to this argument. What is being asked here is why a “Lexington-based club” was excluded. I actually through that you nailed this in an earlier post when you stated that CFC had merged with CSC and thus there wasn’t a Lexington-based club any longer. But maybe I’m missing something there as well.

But if Coach P is from CSC/CFC, then it seems to me that the worst-case result for her/him would be that the 25 teams of classic players would be welcomed, I would hope, into CSC/CFC. I’m not at all saying that is Coach P’s plan – what I’m trying to make clear is that this doesn’t seem to be the nuclear winter kind of threat that it might seem to be – at least from the CSC/CFC perspective – all it would do would be to hurt Lexington parents and players.

>>Coach P. about your involvement with this mess. If you are out to get the club or a person in the club take it out with them personally and don’t hide.<<

Look, I don’t have a hidden agenda here other than I’d like to see a regionally/nationally competitive club in the mid-state. At this point, I don’t believe any of the clubs have this mission. Note: I used to believe CSC/CFC was going after this – but from what I’ve been told CSC/CFC wants to be great in the Fall and then feed to high schools. As always, if I’m wrong, yet again, about this – someone just state clearly that I’m wrong and what CSC/CFC’s mission and goals are.
But I’ve got to admit, as a person who pays a lot of Lexington County taxes, I am still struggling to understand the rationale for the policies. I’ve written Mr. Criscione to ask him for a complete copy of the policy to try to better understand it. I’m not criticizing the policy, or LUSA, or the “Lexington Clubs”, or whatever – I’m simply trying to understand it.

ok, CFC was not allowed to practice over in lexington on gibson(the reason for the start of the whole thing) for the fact that those fields are in use, for sandhills girls, which are lexingtons girls. why take the home club off the field and let the competition practice there, and CSC/CFC has ballentine, when lexington gets to practice over there, then this debate that CRSA should be able to use lexingtons fields will have merit, until then it wont

I agree with Kevin and Coach P. Not sure where the recreation district lines are drawn and how taxes are collected and distributed. I live in Lexington County as well (near Irmo). Neither website - Lexington County Recreation and Aging Commission nor Irmo-Chapin Recreation Commission - post that information.

Kevin's side of town is served by the LCRAC and his letter is right on target. My son plays for CSC. On my son's CSC fall team, of the 17 players rostered, 14 reside in Lexington County, 2 reside in Richland County. Granted the county line runs through Irmo, but most of the parents are paying taxes to Lexington County. 2 of the 14 were from Lexington proper and certainly reside with the boundaries of the LCRAC.

The last post motivated me to register so that I could respond.

There seems to be a misunderstanding about Ballentine fields and Columbia Soccer Club (CSC). I am guessing that many visiting parents and teams from the Columbia area assume that these fields are run by a local gov't recreation commission.

The Ballentine fields are not public but owned by the club. The fields are there by the hard work of a few parents - Greg Weinspach deserves most of the credit. After it was evident that local recreation soccer facilities would never satisfy the needs of the club, a decision was made to purchase land and build fields. This was a gutsy call made around 1995. It has been that long in the making. So much work has been done with so little money.

Currently, the club is taking a signficant next step this summer to build a concession and restroom facility and provide paving.

If you are a believer in citizens banding together to satisfy their needs (instead of waiting/hoping that the local government will) CSC might just be the club for you. Even with the burden of having to pay for our own fields, CSC fees are competitive with other clubs in Columbia.

The club is run by parent volunteers. Maintenance is done by parent volunteers.

There has been a lot of talk about club mergers. Mergers aren't necessary. If you want your child to play for a club that has the same vision as St. Giles (or GFC) come to CSC. Tryouts are this week.

This thread is full of both good and ridiculous arguments. My question is:
If CRSA (forget CSC and CFC) is a Lexington based club, why does there seem to be such an effort by the "soccer powers that be" to NOT provide anything for them in the way of fields in Lexington County?

i know a lot about the fight to get lexingtons new complex, more than most people on this site. Lexington Soccer Club FOUGHT long and hard for those fields, just as CSC did to get their fields, yes i realize the club owns the fields, not becuase the county wouldnt help, but some of the people incharge ticked the county off a number of years ago, i realize the pride that CSC takes in their OWN fields, but Lexington takes pride in their OWN fields regardless who owns them. becuase Lexington Soccer Club board members and parents. sacrificed an exuburant amount of time to get lexingtons fields, did CSC help lexington get the county to give them fields? No. Then why should they use them?? and kick lexington off their own fields. I know for a fact that lexington has never asked to play at ballentine, becuase they put the same dedication into getting those fields as the lexington folks.

and about the argument of out of 17 kids, 14 live in lexington county and 2 in richland, and 2 of 14 live in the town of lexington- you play for CSC not lexington. why should you use lexingtons fields??

on my club team of 18, 3 kids lived 5 min away from ballentine, so therefore its unfair that i dont get to practice at ballentine.

If you pay lexington taxes, then you are entitled to play at lexington county's fields, but if you choose to play for a different club than lexington, stop whining

If the Lexington Soccer Club pays the bills for the Soccer Complex (including the cost of the land), they should be given the only say in how it is used; until then, it should be up to Lexington County and should try to share it's use with as many of it's citizens as possible, regardless of affiliations.

Bottom line difference between the CSC complex at Ballentine and the Gibson Road fields in Lexington is the fact that the Ballentine complex is PRIVATE, the Gibson Road field is PUBLIC with taxes from ALL Lexington County residents -- even those in Cayce-West Columbia -- much to the obvious chagrin of county officials.

We will continue to "stir the pot" until our needs are met in an area of the county that has been neglected for two decades now. It's only fair for our kids to have equal opportunities and if the county won't build fields in our community, then we should have access to facilities elsewhere in the county.

If Lexington Soccer Club were to build their OWN complex then this would be a moot point. The county built that facility and they have been gracious recipients, but just as if the county were to build a complex in C-WC, it would not BELONG to CRSA, even though it may serve as our home field or even if were the primary caretakers of the facility.

Until it's private, there can be no exclusion!

They proposed a plan to build a massive complex in C-WC many years ago, but scratched it due to lack of participation oh the rec teams out there, the county isnt about club teams, they are out to make rec happy, becuase they run the rec leagues, everything that goes on they can control, but its not like that with club

Quotes:
"but Lexington takes pride in their OWN fields regardless who owns them. becuase Lexington Soccer Club board members and parents. sacrificed an exuburant amount of time to get lexingtons fields"

"the county isnt about club teams, they are out to make rec happy, becuase they run the rec leagues, everything that goes on they can control, but its not like that with club"

Make up your mind, NET WT; I guess you are a soccer legend in you own mind. Is Lexington Soccer Club rec? Then what make them different from CRSA in the eyes of Lexington County.

The county board is very rec. minded, thats why it took so long to get the new fields, club pushed for them but when rec decided to jump on the bandwagon, thats when things got rolling.

The CSC has so many other clubs respect becuase they decided that they need more room, so they did everything themselves, and ballentine is theirs forever, but lexington also decided they needed more room, so they got the county to help them pay for it. instead of having to raise all that money.

CRSA is one giant club, in lexington its different clubs, the rec club, then boys classic, then girls, so there are already enough battles for fields between lexington organizations, then when outside clubs wanted to play on the fields, thats when everyone got their pantys all in a bunch.

they said CFC couldnt practice at lexington, so CFC teams would just practice on saturdays when there were no games, and if someone affliated with lexington soccer club showed up they would run to their cars and leave. thats why everyone got upset about other clubs using the fields w/o permission.

the county should provide more fields in C-WC for those folks because they need a place to play, but saying that people from CRSA that live in lexington should get to play on lexingtons county owned fields is dumb, becuase they choose to play over there.

CRSA is a small club. I am not sure of it, but I think last season they did not field a team in each age goup for boys, and no girls teams. Kevin could provide the facts here.

CSC is one giant club**** sorry bout that

2002 - Boys Teams = 5 (Lexington County = 26%)
2001 - Boys Teams = 4 (Lexington County = 30%)
2000 - Boys Teams = 4 (Lexington County = 22%)
1999 - Boys Teams = 5 (Lexington County = 44%)
1998 - Boys Teams = 5 (Lexington County = 52%)
1997 - Boys Teams = 4 (Lexington County = 60%)
1996 - Boys Teams = 5 (Lexington County = 65%)
1995 - Boys Teams = 6 / Girls Teams = 1 (Lex. Co. = 65%)
1994 - Boys Teams = 5 (Lexington County = 71%)
1993 - Boys Teams = 4 (Lexington County = 70%)
==============================================
2003 Projected - Boys Teams = 7 / Girls Teams = 1
==============================================
50% (427) of players in the Congaree Rapid Soccer Association have been Lexington County residents the last 10 years -- 854 total.
==============================================
Our girls affiliations have been diminished in the "teams facts" due to our cooperative effort with the Palmetto Girls Soccer Association for a five-year period.
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This is unreal! The club(CRSA) serves Lexington County schools!!!! BC, White Knoll, Lexington and Airport ALL benefit from CRSA!!!! And by-the-way Lexington County OWNS those fields NOT LSC!!! Who told anyone in Lexington Soccer Club or the rec commission that they were qualified to run this project? If Lexington County wants Rec, that's fine we need that, but once a kid gets at the age of about 10 they should have an option to play club ball -- if they want to focus on soccer!!!!

Nice to see Richland County taking the initative to supply fields in the near future.

May 26th - The State.