Soccer referees are all torn up about the borough's worn-down fields,
The New York City Soccer Officials Association is boycotting four of nine fields at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park because of gaping tears in artificial turf, holes full of standing water and dangerous divots in the ground, according to the New York Daily News.
"We refuse to referee games on those fields," said Alan Wharton, president of the association. "It's a liability issue for us."
The group officiates Public School Athletic League games, as well as private school, college and club games. Without the referees, games cannot be scheduled on fields 1, 4, 5 or 6, leaving just four open for the northern Queens teams that compete at the park. The ninth field is a nonregulation- size children's field.
"They are not playable," said Bob Sprance, varsity girls coach at Forest Hills High School. "They must be repaired before somebody gets seriously hurt."
Fields 1 and 5 are artificial turf, and each has everal tears and ripped seams. The other two are dirt fields and are littered with bottle caps, glass and rocks.
"I go out with giant cones to mark the spots that the girls need to be aware of," said Keith Horan, varsity coach at the High School for Arts and Business in Corona. "It's plain dangerous."
Read More:
about time someone stand up to this lack of support to the minorities which uses the park for recreation ,,,,,someone is going to get hurt ....the city don't finish realizing that it cost less to maintain the fields than to replace them
ReplyDeleteMaybe you shouldn't wear cleats on parks property! Oh wait your not supposed to and they all do! Oh snap! No wonder the artifical turf is ruined. Go figure.
ReplyDelete