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!!!