Youth sports representatives told the Board of Supervisors what the board members already know: Loudoun needs more sports field access.
Chairman Scott York (R-At large) called for a Youth Sports Summit on June 2 to identify the county’s recreational needs, along with what the leagues want the county to provide.
"We always have known we've been in deficit in terms of fields versus the demand for fields," York said.
The county currently has 191 fields and the need for 277 additional fields, according to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services’ assessment of field needs for the county’s population of 214,700 residents. The shortage drops to a deficit of 232 fields of 454 needed fields under a proposed standard that divides some of the larger fields in the county for additional smaller soccer and softball fields.
"The county has a responsibility to be sure that all sports and all regions of the county have reasonable facilities," said Supervisor Charles Harris (D-Broad Run).
More than 65 youth sports representatives attended the summit. Some of the 16 people who spoke addressed the increase in sports program participation and the shortage of fields in the county. They recommended ways to create more playing time, including increasing lighting on fields and finding other practice areas to open up fields for games.
"We have a crunch in all the geographic areas in the county. We have always had a crunch," said Cindy Welsh, director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services.
The county has operated at a recorded field deficit since 1987 when the board asked the department to develop standards identifying the number and type of facilities needed for the population, Welsh said. "The problem is the gap keeps getting wider and wider," she said
The Finance and Government Services Committee will take up the discussion of the facility standards and service plans at the June 16 committee meeting. The finance committee is reviewing service plans for all aspects of the county.