Work on soccer fields underway

Published:  Wednesday, November 25, 2009 (2 months, 2 weeks ago)
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DELPHOS — The Delphos Soccer Association (DSA) is a not-for-profit group that maintains the soccer fields on the grounds of the St. John’s Annex.
These fields are utilized for an intra-city youth 5-11-year-old soccer league run by the Delphos Soccer Association, as well as junior high girls and boys soccer teams, ages 12-14, participating in the WCOSA league and St. John’s and Jefferson high school soccer teams.
DSA has been fighting a drainage problem and knotweed issue primarily on fields No. 4 (Varsity Field) and No. 5 (Junior High Field). The flooding was so bad in 2007 and 2008 that it caused the cancellation of more than two weeks of the youth soccer season and the postponement of five varsity games in 2008.
DSA has initiated a project to improve the drainage and field conditions at the Annex for the 2010 season.
The project entails installing a catch basin at the northeast end of Field No. 5 and running an 8-inch tile along the east (canal) side of Field No. 5 to tie into the storm sewer in the vacant lot off of Clime Street. Then a combination of 6-inch and 4-inch tiles will be run back to the west across fields No. 5 and No. 4. Once this work is completed, the DSA will haul in and grade more than 100 cubic yards of fill dirt to raise the north ends of fields No. 4 and 5. With the fill dirt in place, they will then work the south ends of Fields No. 1 and No. 2 (used for ages 5-8) as well as all of all of fields No. 4 and No. 5.
Installation of the drainage tiles is underway at the fields now. In the spring of 2010, the DSA plans on reworking the ground and seeding the fields.  In order to provide a screen between homes located south of the fields, DSA would like to place additional netting as well as Arborvitae trees at the south ends of the fields. This initiative is contingent upon total funding available.
The DSA charges an annual registration fee for participants in the soccer program. The fees, as well as proceeds from the concession stand, are used to cover the costs for renting the facilities from St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church and contracts with the city Parks and Recreation Department for field lining, mowing and trash-removal services. The annual fees also cover uniforms for the players, end-of-season awards, referee fees and insurance.
In order to have funds available for facility enhancements, DSA runs a chicken barbecue on Soccer Sunday. In 2009, DSA sold advertising banners to area businesses that were placed at the Annex to assist in the raising of funds for this planned projects.  DSA also organized the Glamour & Goblins 5K run selling advertisement space on the T-shirts provided to the participants. The 5K run was successfully held on Oct. 25.
DSA’s goal for funding this project and ongoing maintenance of its goals, bleachers, storage shed and concession shed over the next 3-5 years is $15,000. DSA currently has approximately a third of the funds needed to complete the entire project.
To see the progress on this initiative, stop by the Annex. To contributing or for more information, contact the DSA through David Wollenhaupt, Dave Roach, Larry Heiing, Nate Ankerman, Ed Castle or Tim Berelsman.