Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
Commissioner Barry Jacobs concluded the symposium by thanking everyone for participating. <br />He pointed out that the task force represented abroad-based coalition, ,bringing together the <br />schools, the towns, the county, the private soccer organizations, and the public at large. He <br />noted that a solution to the identified need for additional facilities would require the continued <br />support of all these entities. He also encouraged participants to make their desires for <br />additional soccer facilities known to their elected officials. <br />Recornrnendations <br />At a meeting held. after the Soccer Symposium, task force members concluded that additional <br />work was needed in three areas, and formed subcommittees to develop draft recommendations <br />for the entire group to consider. The three identified areas were: <br />Access Issues -Specifically this subcommittee was charged with identifying ways to <br />make programming available across various racial, ethnic, gender, and age groups. Rick <br />Kennedy chaired this committee; its report is shown in Attachment E. <br />..Models/Economic Development -This subcommittee was to look at models of <br />public/private partnerships in various locations across the state and region and to estimate the <br />potential economic impact of soccer in Orange County under select scenarios. Dianne Reid <br />chaired the committee; its report is shown in Attachment F. <br />Inter-league Cooperation -This subcommittee focused on ways to ensure cooperation <br />among the soccer leagues, including ways to share practice fields and any complex for soccer <br />matches that might be developed. The group also examined public/private partnership models <br />in relation to cooperative arrangements.. Patrick Sullivan chaired this committee; its report is <br />shown in Attachment G. <br />Based upon the work of the subcommittees and the task force as a whole, the group has. <br />reached consensus on the following findings of fact: <br />- Facilities do not currently meet the demand for soccer fields. <br />- Due to the limited number of fields, fields are overused, resulting in poor (and potentially <br />dangerous) field conditions. <br />- Latino teams have great difficulty securing fields due to the lack of language fluency, <br />limitations of available transportation, and slack of knowledge about procedures for <br />securing fields. <br />- Relative to many other sports, soccer has low equipment costs and is thus relatively <br />inexpensive to play. (As one citizen said at the symposium, "You only need a ball and some <br />level ground.") <br />Soccer deserves promotion because it is a "clean industry" that has positive net economic <br />benefits, while promoting teamwork and a healthy life=style. <br />- Positive economic development impacts (in terms of tourism expenditures) result from <br />hosting tournament play. <br />Task force members also conducted research on the average cost of construction for• fields, <br />excluding design cost and the cost of land. Based upon data supplied by the Capital Area ' <br />Soccer League (CASE) for the development costs of two fields in Raleigh and twelve proposed <br />fields in the southern part of Wake County, basic field development (clearing, grading, <br />sedimehtation and erosion control, seeding, provision of gravel roads and parking, basic <br />