Yep. All the surrounding counties do a much better job with field space and facilities than FFX. One of the major issues is the relationship with FXA. |
I am curious as to why Springfield would have space issues. Isn’t there alot of space? This would seem like a DC/Arlington issue more than a Springfield issue. |
See above about the incompetance of the Fairfax County office (Neighborhood and Community Services) assigned with allocating fields. According to county policy youth sports, most especially in their "primary" season, get priority. In practice adult sports somehow seem to get way more fields than they expect. You can find the issue described for softball here on page 13, but it's really across the board (though I haven't heard complaints about baseball - gym space is even worse than field space for basketball and volleyball though). |
There's not a lot of space when you factor in the surrounding clubs that operate out of other county rec facilities. When it comes to turf space SYC only has the two fields at south run, a newer field off of loisdale and then is reliant on HS field space which is problematic balancing HS needs on top of allowing SYC to use them. Off the top of my head FFX then also has to deal with handing out field space to other youth programs in the county which there are a number of them like FVU, McLean, Valor, Great falls etc. |
And if anybody has been to Arlington, they have a lot of fields to spread around to just Arlington, there isn't another club operating out of that county but having that many fields in their county is a nice luxury. |
This…while Arlington county is small. It has an abundance of fields. Remember Arlington county does middle school sports so they also have quite a few turf middle school fields like Kenmore, TJ, etc. |
B/c every space/clear piece of land is immediately sold to developers for housing or strip malls (and calling it a mosaic district). That brings in tax dollars verses sports fields which bring in a sessonal measly field-usage fee. |
My favorite was when they had a huge plot of land on Braddock Rd., and instead of making a new sports complex and park they sold it to a developer for a 55+ community...because there isn't enough traffic by Mason as is. |
Also known as something that isn't going to happen. |
Really makes you think about the county, people generally assume things are all great at the county level in FFX compared to surrounding counties but I see aging facilities with nothing planned to solve it. |
Fairfax County is really bad bang for your buck in 2025. |
Yes, and the indoor sports have their use canceled by schools all the time. Or you have the gym permit but no custodian is there to unlock. Literally the county says, sorry, go home. They don't even try to get anyone to unlock it. |
What's the deal with FXA? How do they get prioritized over kids rec sports? |
Interesting because it always seems like there are so so so many unused baseball fields *everywhere*. Turf fields are packed with 100 kids practicing next to empty ball fields. |
I thought girls softball and little league games were all played on the same fields. Softball has to be played on special, softball-only fields? |