As I wind up my first year as President of Lake Country Soccer, I would like to take the opportunity to share some ideas/ goals that the Board of Directors has been discussing in terms of capital improvements and programming. We have tried to keep the goals from sounding unreachable or impractical. I offer these ideas to solicit feedback and NOT as concrete plans with timelines and commitments. I would appreciate any and all feedback whether these are ideas worth pursuing or if Lake Country is not considering ideas that others have in addition to, or instead of, these items.

1.      All weather outdoor turf fields on Cooper 1 and 2. The Board has been investigating the feasibility of installing synthetic (FIFA approved) turf on Cooper 1 and 2. Our research is that while there is an upfront cost, the cost for maintenance is very low and the turf has an expected life of 20 years. By installing turf on these fields, we gain the ability to attract regional tournaments, possibly attract higher profile collegiate matches, state high school play-offs, etc as well as creating fields that can be used for practice year-round. We definitely create fields that overcome our biggest problem: rain.
     The wear and tear of an ordinary season and the tournaments we host currently require us to spend considerable sums on the fields for maintenance and we have to take these fields offline throughout the year to let them rest. This creates scheduling difficulties for teams wanting to play high school or club games and virtually assures that these fields are unavailable for practice. We estimate that the cost to install such fields and also installing improved scoreboards and a new press box will be approximately $1 -1.5 million dollars.
     We also believe that we have some attractive partnering opportunities with possibly area schools and other groups. While this number sounds high, keep in mind that our current annual maintenance cost for keeping grass fields in game condition is approximately $50,000 per year and we cannot really maximize usage of the current fields without substantially improving drainage. That would require us to spend close to the same amount as installing turf and we would not really reduce our annual maintenance costs.

2.      Implementing a modified academy structure to create a “One-Stop Shop” for soccer. European and South American player development models focus on the Academy structure. In general terms, an Academy structure focuses on training and individual player development at early ages. Games are fewer and players are trained by age and skill groups. This system DOES NOT replace recreational soccer, instead it is designed to introduce a child to the game as an individual instead of being team oriented.
     Recreational soccer will always be the largest component of Lake Country Soccer as we recognize that most children and adults play for fun and socializing. For those children who do not want to train more in-depth, there will always be recreational soccer leagues and teams. HOWEVER, for those children who want more training, Lake Country believes that such a child should be able to receive such training in an affordable and practical way in one location. We are in the beginning stages of reviewing this concept.
     We recognize that this issue creates strong feelings both for and against such a system. However, we also are confident that done correctly, such a system will greatly improve the quality of play and will place more children from Southwest Missouri in a position to compete at a regional and national level.

3.      Finally, the Board has studied the issue of expanding the indoor facility to add an additional field. Currently, we are maxed out on available field time during the winter and early spring. There is no real opportunity to increase programming to allow evening or weekend field rental due to league play. We also sense that there would be more usage by area clubs as a practice facility if we had the space. We have received a bid of $1.6 million to add one field. However, due to the high cost and lack of a corresponding return on investment, we are not actively pursuing expansion plans at this time.

     The above comprises the top 3 Board issues. We want to encourage everyone to review these items and reply with feedback and questions. We believe that the only way to succeed in any of the above areas is to make sure that we have widespread support from our teams and players.

Please feel free to reply. Thanks