Soccer parents want more fields

Mount Pleasant soccer parents are teaming up to encourage the town of Mount Pleasant to build more soccer fields.

More than 5,000 kids are on Mount Pleasant Recreation Department soccer teams for 2008 and the town has just seven full-size fields.

That doesn't leave a lot of room for either games or practice.

John Slick of Mount Pleasant said his 7-year-old son, Johnny, has only 30 minutes of organized practice before his Saturday games, so he takes him out to use multipurpose fields on off-days.

Petitions will be circulated to request that the town offer more fields."We'd love some," Slick said.

He and other parents said on game days the multipurpose fields at Park West are so packed with kids playing soccer and parents watching that it's difficult to see what's going on.

"It's tight," Slick said.

More field space would also allow parents such as Nancy Paich with two children in soccer to more easily stand by the sidelines.

"I think more soccer fields would be great," Paich said.

Mount Pleasant's plan is to create a multipurpose field in Carolina Park composed of four baseball fields leaving room to practice soccer on the outfields.

Mary Ellen Urig, of the Mount Pleasant Soccer Club, said in an e-mail message circulated to soccer parents that Mount Pleasant needs to create a single-purpose, well equipped and lighted soccer training facility. She also urged parents to attend a 6:30 p.m. Oct. 1 Town Council Recreation Committee meeting to discuss soccer needs.

Reach Jessica Johnson at 937-5921 or jjohnson@postandcourier.com.