Soccer has long been recognized as the world's most popular sport and while in North America it places lower in a crowded field of activities, it's popularity has been growing since the 1970's and has exploded over the last 10 years. Much of this has spun out of the huge wave of immigration from Asian and Central American nations and from the gender equality policies instituted by universities which has been an explosions in the female participation rates from what were nominal levels twenty years ago to 50% today. The success of the US Women's team with its high profile World Cup win over China in front of 50,000 at the inaugural U-19 World Championship in Edmonton a few years ago, has resulted in a huge spike in female youth participation, and national television audiences for European soccer have grown four-fold over the last 3 years.

Fundy Soccer Association (FSA) saw its enrollment increase by 30% following these events and has struggles to find a venue to accomodate the players. Today soccer enjoys the highest enrollment of all field sports in the region with over 4000 players, young and old, male and female participating in the game over the summer and the school seasons, yet until very recently, no new facilitles had been developed since the Canada Games in 1985. Public parks and shool lawns were pressed into service, resulting in a poor quality experience. SImply scheduling games and practices is a challenge and no provision can be made for taking a field out of the rotation for resting and maintenance. It is not unusual for a game to be occuring simultaneously with practices taking place on end zones and sidelines.

The fields themselves, are compacted and bare from excessive use, provide for a poor  and often dangerous playing surface and are a source of embarassment when hosting teams from out of town.

FSA remains committed to the development of programs, coaches, a volunteer base, and facilities to allow for the broadest possible participation of athletes at the highest level they wish to strive for; however, the lack of infrastructure has limited the potential for furthur growth. FSA also recognizes that the sports of football, rugby, lacrosse and ultimate frisbee face similar pressures and accomodations must be made for those activites as well.

While the new natural field developments in Milligeville and at Rothesay High School will offer some relief, the pending closure of Pricess Elizabeth School field will mean a net gain of only two fields. Natural fields are also limited in their flexiblilty. Soccer, Lacrosse and Field Hockey fields surfaces need to exhibit different characteristics than those of football and rugby. The players typically rely on rapid starts and stops and frequent chnges in direction as a major tactical element of the game. These quick maneuvers place a good deal of localized mechanical stress on the turf, but without the concentrated gouging of the field typical of sport like football and rugby. Soccer footgear features shorter cleats, which bit less deeply into the turf and the players themselves tend to be lighter, and this allows for the shorter cutting of the grass needed for effective ball response. The incompatibility results in either higher maintenance costs, or the need to accept a diminution in the field quality. Moreover, even highly maintained natural fieldsare only able to tolerate a maximum weekely use of 17 hours and no more than 300-400 hours per season (late May to Late October or less given the wet nature of our springs and falls), if we are to avoid costly damage. Natural fields, which also attract costly annual maintenance requirments due to aeration, over seeding, fertilizing, irrigation, cutting and lining and our relatively mild winter climate with frequent freezes and thaws, pose further challenges to maintaining the health natural fields.

Artificial turf on the other hand, has characteristics that simultaneously meet all of the field characteristics needed by each sport. The incompatible use issue is non-exsistent. A national competition soccer game could be played immediately after a football or rugby game simply by swapping the goals, without any concern of turf degredation from the previous game. Moreover, artificial fields can be used anytime they are free of snow, effectively exending the season by 2 months on each side. This extension of the season, coupled with the ability to use the fields in wet conditions, offers an effective usability that is five times greater than a natural field.

For these reasons, FSA is an enthusiastic  supporter of the development of high quality artificial turf facilities and further believes that new facilites should be developled to encourage the maximun possible recreational and sporting use. The facilities shoud be of a sufficient quality to instill a sense of community pride and to provide the necessary environment and amenities required by those who wish to have an opportunity to be coached, trained, and compete at competitive reginal, national and international levels. It is FSA's understanding that the KV Fields Committee  shares this view and intends to implement policies to facilitate the maximun possible usage of the facility by the community, KV High School, FSA and other local athletic associations on an equitable basis.