A Cobb County nonprofit soccer organization is trying to get field space in the city of Canton but reportedly has been denied by a local soccer organization to use Boling Park fields, prompting city officials to look further at the issue.
The Canton City Council’s streets/sidewalks and parks committee is expected to meet March 9 to discuss the use of the soccer fields in Boling Park. The date has not been set by city officials.
“We’re going in with an open mind, and we’re going to look at all things and consider them,” Committee Chairman Jack Goodwin said, adding the city has asked for any organization with an agreement with the city to provide documentation. “So far, we haven’t seen those.”
Representatives from the Cherokee Soccer Association, also known as Cherokee Impact, and the North Atlanta Soccer Association have been invited to participate.
“We’re going to talk to them and see what’s going on,” Goodwin said.
At the Feb. 18 city council meeting, a former Cherokee Impact soccer parent and current coach and parent of a NASA soccer player addressed the city council seeking some help in getting practice space at the soccer fields in Boling Park. Canton resident Arron Miller said he has not yet approached the county this year, instead, he decided to try to contact the city, since he’s a city resident.
“I wanted to start with the city first because I already had a lot of the information and had already started researching that,” Miller said.
Miller, who now is lobbying on behalf of NASA, according to NASA officials, sought the city council’s knowledge on a lease agreement between the city and Cherokee Impact regarding Boling Park.
Historically, the city has had a gentleman’s agreement with Cherokee Impact regarding use of the soccer fields. Some city council members were vaguely aware of the historic verbal agreement, but told Miller they would look into it.
NASA representatives approached officials last year asking to use the soccer fields at Boling Park for practice but were directed to speak with CSA officials. Director of the Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency (CRPA) Keith Hammond said NASA officials addressed them in the last few years and were told there was no more space at county parks to allow more teams to practice.
NASA Director of Soccer Dave Smith told the Ledger-News Feb. 25 that CSA denied their requests to use the fields at Boling Park.
“I went to Cherokee Impact, and they told me they didn’t have any field space,” Smith said. “When I went back to the parks and rec, they told me ‘our agreement is with Cherokee Impact and they make all the decisions on the soccer fields.’”
Smith said 10 percent of NASA’s membership lives in Cherokee, which equates to about 280 kids. Miller said he believes Cherokee soccer parents should have a choice of programs in the county and shouldn’t be forced to look outside of Cherokee for other soccer programs.
“As a Canton resident, I want NASA, which I feel has a better soccer program … (to) have the ability to come play soccer on those fields (Boling Park) as well, so parents can see both programs,” Miller said. “We are being denied that choice.”
NASA officials aren’t looking for a place to play games in Cherokee; only some practice fields in Cherokee. The nonprofit organization has private fields in Cobb County. Miller said, however, that he’s worked out an agreement to use a private area in River Green, but he still believes NASA’s Cherokee players should have the opportunity to play at taxpayer-funded parks.
“We’ve worked out an agreement with River Green subdivision just for practices,” Miller said. “I feel, as a taxpayer of Canton, I should have access to a public field. I shouldn’t have to go to a private entity and rely on their generosity when I have public facilities available.”
CSA President John Brandreth said Cherokee Impact has spent a lot of money building and maintaining the soccer fields at Boling Park. Goodwin said at the Feb. 18 meeting that CSA has spent around $10,000 in maintenance.
Smith said, if NASA’s Cherokee players were allowed to practice on those fields, they would be willing to contribute toward the field maintenance.
“Without question,” Smith said of contributing to the upkeep of the fields. “We have a facilities manager … we would either extend his role to take of it ourselves or kick money in to the county, or whatever, however they would want to handle it. But we would definitely want to participate in that.”
Brandreth said, even if NASA was willing to financially contribute to the field maintenance, CSA still wouldn’t allow NASA teams to use the soccer fields.
“Absolutely not,” Brandreth said of allowing NASA players to practice at local soccer fields. “That is a Cobb County association. There would be no reason for the city of Canton or Cherokee County to support a group that is based in another county.”
Brandreth said he feels NASA is trying to get a “toehold” on Cherokee County soccer and, if they were allowed field space, NASA would try to steal away Cherokee Impact players.
“It’s just trying to get in here and get their foot in the door somehow, any way, and they happen to have a disgruntled coach from here and that’s the way they are doing it,” Brandreth said.
Smith said NASA isn’t looking to cause problems, and Miller said he just wants to use the fields in Boling Park—something he said he pays for as a Canton and Cherokee County resident.
“I’m not looking to make an enemy. I don’t have any problem with Cherokee Impact,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to help out the people who wanted to join our club and live up there. I’m trying to serve our membership by trying to acquire field space closer to where they live.”
While there’s a places-to-play-soccer deficit in Cherokee County, Hammond said plans are in place for more fields. The county has allocated $1.4 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money and about $3 million from the $90 million voter-approved park bond for a soccer complex on Blalock Road. That complex, when finished, is expected to have about 17 soccer fields.
The county, however, has faced some hardships in site preparation. The former landfill site has a lot of vegetative debris buried and piled on the site, forcing the county to haul it away. Weather has prevented county officials from completing that work to date, but county officials took advantage of the recent dry, 60-degree weather to get some of that work done.
Barring any complications or bad weather, Hammond said he hopes the soccer complex will be open for play sometime in 2011.
Currently, CRPA has six multi-purpose fields in J.J. Biello, Sequoyah and Hobgood parks that can be used as soccer fields, but Hammond said they are forced to turn down use requests for new groups, because there just isn’t enough space.
“The easy quick answer would be no because we don’t have the space,” Hammond said, adding the CRPA is approached often by different sports groups seeking places to play. “We’re strapped for everything. We don’t have the space.”
CRPA has several different partnership agreements with different youth sports organizations, including CSA, as well as football and lacrosse organizations. CRPA, Hammond said, still makes the decisions regarding the use of those fields—not the organization with which the agency has an agreement.
For information about parks planned under the $90 million voter-approved park bond, go to parkbond.cherokeega.com.
