Section 3: Capital Funds Text Comments

This is what you thought we should do with our fund in the future

Seventy (70) people offered their thoughts.

Three suggestions garnered 11 responses (16%) each:

1. Field Improvement
2. Goose Poop Removal
3. Bubble Facility Construction

Other ideas:

4. Scholarships
    Five comments said to give more in general
    Four comments said to increase those given for college
5. Bathrooms: 8 asked for more

Another grouping of 7 responses revolved around the following four issues:

• Goal keeper training,
• Player training,
• Professional training for coaches and
• Visits by professionals.

Interestingly, all four of these issues are being done and have been done for many seasons.  


Some of the suggested activities are currently being performed by the League.

The goose poop problem was solved by moving the Junior Division games from Cummings Park to other locations.
Port-o-potties are now installed at six playing fields and registration scholarships are being dispensed at their highest level ever.
All of the above has been accomplished without drawing on the capital projects fund.

We cannot control the improvement of grass fields in the City whether they are Board of Education or Parks and Recreation fields. But we have lobbied extensively for many years. We achieve some successes but they prove to be only temporary. That is because the basic issue is that there are too many kids in Stamford in different youth programs coupled with High School and adult players to be accommodated on well maintained grass fields. The fields suffer from overuse and the only solution has been to move towards artificial fields across the city.

The City has, to its credit, understood the realities and has built seven such fields in recent years (several more were planned before the economic downturn put them on hold).  The Capital Fund’s original intent was to put us in a position to be able to secure safe, modern playing fields with priority scheduling rights. The current suspension of the City’s artificial field development program due to fiscal constraints means that the fund’s concept is still very valid. The City’s goal of installing additional artificial fields at middle school sites is in limbo.  The League continues to remain vigilant…looking for opportunities to enhance our kids playing fields.



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