For those complaining about the rainouts....

[Anonymous]

Our U16 game was cancelled yesterday, and today we played on a grass field that was a muddy mess. One goal was literally in a mud pit. The kids were slipping all over the field. Not a minute went by when someone wasn't on their ass (from both teams). When I walked across the field to leave, I understood even more - the field is trashed. Ruined. And while we were U16, the little ones playing before us couldn't have been more than 10. This is why our fields are in such bad shape to begin with!

[Anonymous]

That was enlightening, didn't know water and dirt made mud.

[Anonymous]

The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

Yup...unfortunately, Montgomery County cares far more about business than quality of life.
Every parcel of land big enough for fields is immediately directed towards developers to build a few more houses.
One Rockville council member wanted to redevelop the dilapidated Redgate Golf course into a sports complex, and was basically laughed out of the building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

Yup...unfortunately, Montgomery County cares far more about business than quality of life.
Every parcel of land big enough for fields is immediately directed towards developers to build a few more houses.
One Rockville council member wanted to redevelop the dilapidated Redgate Golf course into a sports complex, and was basically laughed out of the building.

Really? How do we get them to change their mindset?

While it’s expensive to develop, they can set up a public/private partnership like Germantown SoccerPlex. I’m sure BSC, MSI and other local clubs would partner with them just like MSI did with a few local public schools (Whitman, Julius West, etc.)

It would be a good investment that also create better quality of life for Rockville and surrounding cities/communities. But then again, Montgomery County and Rockville lacks business acumen and experience to bring businesses to its city.

[Anonymous]

Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

What, are you a fakenewser?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-brand-new-turf-field-sits-atop-millions-of-gallons-of-liquid-sewage/2015/10/23/7bcffe26-7812-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html?utm_term=.ae4f0bbd5464

This has also been proposed for DC's various reservoirs, which generally are just fenced in grass-covered areas. Apparently security issues have prevented the idea from gaining much traction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

Yup...unfortunately, Montgomery County cares far more about business than quality of life.
Every parcel of land big enough for fields is immediately directed towards developers to build a few more houses.
One Rockville council member wanted to redevelop the dilapidated Redgate Golf course into a sports complex, and was basically laughed out of the building.

Really? How do we get them to change their mindset?

$$$

Real estate can pay a lot more. To match it you'd have some really expensive soccer fields (i.e., fees that are really high to support the cost).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

What, are you a fakenewser?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-brand-new-turf-field-sits-atop-millions-of-gallons-of-liquid-sewage/2015/10/23/7bcffe26-7812-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html?utm_term=.ae4f0bbd5464

This has also been proposed for DC's various reservoirs, which generally are just fenced in grass-covered areas. Apparently security issues have prevented the idea from gaining much traction.

They did this in NYC years ago. It's a great idea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverbank_State_Park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

Yup...unfortunately, Montgomery County cares far more about business than quality of life.
Every parcel of land big enough for fields is immediately directed towards developers to build a few more houses.
One Rockville council member wanted to redevelop the dilapidated Redgate Golf course into a sports complex, and was basically laughed out of the building.

Really? How do we get them to change their mindset?

$$$

Real estate can pay a lot more. To match it you'd have some really expensive soccer fields (i.e., fees that are really high to support the cost).

While I agree with you regarding the high cost, Germantown Soccerplex successfully did it. Sure beats the wasteful land that is currently being used as Redgate golf course. MSI paid millions (~$5M) to MCPS to build turf fields at Whitman HS, Einstein HS & Julius West MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

They did- Limerick field.

Longbridge in Arlington was also a former sludge/waste treatment as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

They did- Limerick field.

Longbridge in Arlington was also a former sludge/waste treatment as well.

What garbage pile will they build Amazon HQ2 on top of?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not enough thinking outside the box. I think I read that Alexandria actually built a field on top of a waste treatment facility. Why not? Double up sq footage.

Well if you think you might have read it somewhere, it must be true.

Idiot.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/this-brand-new-turf-field-sits-atop-millions-of-gallons-of-liquid-sewage/2015/10/23/7bcffe26-7812-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html?utm_term=.34e563eb4ce5

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Washington DC metro area is in desperate need of more turf fields especially in Montgomery County. While soccer is becoming more and more popular for kids, I’m sure it would be very useful for other sports too.

Yup...unfortunately, Montgomery County cares far more about business than quality of life.
Every parcel of land big enough for fields is immediately directed towards developers to build a few more houses.
One Rockville council member wanted to redevelop the dilapidated Redgate Golf course into a sports complex, and was basically laughed out of the building.

Really? How do we get them to change their mindset?

$$$

Real estate can pay a lot more. To match it you'd have some really expensive soccer fields (i.e., fees that are really high to support the cost).

While I agree with you regarding the high cost, Germantown Soccerplex successfully did it. Sure beats the wasteful land that is currently being used as Redgate golf course. MSI paid millions (~$5M) to MCPS to build turf fields at Whitman HS, Einstein HS & Julius West MS.

The Soccerplex struggles financially. They walk a knife edge between keeping fees high enough to pay the bills and not so high as to drive people elsewhere. And that's just to cover the operating expense, the original cost of acquiring and improving the land was financed through tens of millions of dollars of donations. From Wikipedia:

The Maryland SoccerPlex was completed in 2000 with $15 million raised by a group of Montgomery County, Maryland soccer parents led by Discovery Communications chairman John Hendricks and his wife Maureen (also co-founders of Washington Freedom soccer team) through private donations and government-backed bonds.[2] It was built as a private-public partnership between the Maryland Soccer Foundation, created in 1997 to build and operate the complex,[2] and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.[3]

However, initial revenues fell short of projections and the foundation took on $14 million in debt, nearly triple the amount projected, and the Hendricks donated a further $6 million in 2005 to stabilize funding and build additional fields.

It's not a sustainable model.

People don't seem to understand that fields cost money and that for the most part soccer parents are unwilling or unable to pay for them.