Trouble finding fields?

Softball Field Troubles???

My purpose for this post is to see if there if other teams/organizations have trouble finding field(s) to practice on, the cost of these fields, and the troubles you have to deal with. We are based in Wake County/Raleigh and have 3 teams in our organization. We try to practice quite a bit in the spring and some in the fall. As you can imagine, that adds up to a lot of hours to have be serious, competitive, and prepare our players. We have been practicing out of Raleigh almost 2 years now. For most of that time, we were able to practice at one high school in Wake County. We had players in the organization at that school and we put more time and effort into the field to keep it up than the high school coaches. Due to those two reasons, the high school coach allowed us to practice on the field. We used it predominantly on Sunday afternoons, when no one else was around, and left it better than we found it. Back in the fall, the high school coach resigned from her softball coaching position. Two weeks after this, we had 50+ players at the field practicing one day, and another coach at the school approached and told us we had to leave. If we did not leave he was going to call the Police and have my coaches and myself arrested for trespassing. He said that we had been using the field without permission and could not use it any longer. After this happened, I began working with another high school to use their field. It turns out, all the school fields in Wake County are "ran" or controlled by an arm of the Wake County Public Schools called Community Schools. There is a bureaucratic process that has to be completed, to get use of the fields. Legal paperwork signed, signatures/approval by the coach, athletic director, principal, and then ultimately this Community Schools staff. To use a Wake County Schools softball field, you have to pay $85 an hour or trade off penny for penny in upgrades/additions/care of the field!!! I agreed to put up a hitting tunnel for the school in return for use of the field. Either pay the $85 per hour or build a hitting tunnel, either way cost us money. All paperwork is completed, signed, and sent to Community Schools. Two weeks after our first use of the field, they call and tell me that the contract/agreement with the school/Community Schools is voided because the principal at the school did not turn in the paperwork in time. Now, according to them, I just have to pay the $85 an hour for the field. When I informed the coach, AD, and principal, they basically said forget them just build the tunnel. It is now at the point, where this Community Schools group is telling me I have to pay them or they will turn me into the Better Business Bureau, damage my credit, and turn me over to a collection agency. It appears that the only way to use a field at a Wake County School is to pay the outrageous $85 an hour for the field, trade off penny for penny in what they call "in kind" work if the paperwork is done right, or find a coach and athletic director that will basically turn a blind eye to using their field. Why build fields that can cost close the million dollar mark or more, but basically make it to where nobody can afford to use them?????? Now you have a field that gets used, for the most part, only gets used 3-4 months a year and then seats vacant. Shouldn't the purpose of a field be for it to be used and not priced so high to keep people from using it???? I have used 4 different high school fields over the last 7 years. 3 of those field either me and/or my organization with the help of coaches and parents have taken better care of those fields than the high school coach and/or school system and would have done the same with the most recent one. Our parents/players pay thousands of dollars a year to play and travel for our sport, them or myself should not have to pay thousands more to practice as well.

Now that I have done my venting....does any other coaches, teams, organizations have the same kind of trouble and issues with finding a field to practice on??? And does that field cost you an arm and a leg in direct payment or through hitting tunnels and all the other things you would have to pay to be considered for "in kind" service to use the field.

There's a new majority on the Wake County School Board, they are making some big changes, maybe I should go to a meeting and voice my issue. I believe there are at least two other teams/organizations that practice at a Wake County school, maybe we should team up to fight this..................

 

You sort of said it all. It is very expensive unless you know the right person. We have 4 teams out of the Raleigh Area and are always looking for somewhere to practice. They ought to welcome the field keep up help. We have a feild right now, but when baseball and softball start up, it wll be harder for us to get on the field, and we hate having to do fundraisers just to pay for field use. Heck, we have a hard time finding one to pay for. Wake Forest Parks and Rec is booked, Rolesville is booked, etc. Maybe it would be a good idea to go to the school board to see if there is a resolution that would benefit everyone. We are a fairly new organization which makes it hard, we are growing so fast, started with 2 teams in the fall, and now we have 4 starting in the spring. It is ashame you have girls that want to put forth the effort, bu no where for them to practice.

 

Liability ???

Not saying you, but there are so many people out to sue , that the county or city try to price things so high for rental that the general public says just forget it...tell them as a group, if this is the reason, then you will sign a release waiver, that should clear things up, but it will then make you responsible for your kids injuries....CATCH 22....--GURU

 

Church fields

Many of the teams in my local area use church fields. You can usually agree to keep the field in good condition and make a small monetary donation to the church for its use. Another option may be to find a subdivision that has a field in it. Our homeowners assocaiation often leases our field to teams in the local area. Again, the cost is very reasonable; somewhere around $100/month. Lights are the only issue if practices are scheduled late in the evening.

 

I HAVE A ???

Doesn't that take the church out of the "NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ?"...I GUESS IF IT A DONATION THAT MAKES IT OKAY..



GURU

 

As long as its a donation then the Church is still non profit. Most Churches in our area have fields. If we have a problem with the use of a rec field then we have a parent that is a Church member and we can request the use of the fields and use them for free.

Maybe you should join a Church and tell the school district to piss off

 

flat land

Any flat land around Raleigh that doesn't have a house or road on it? For $85.00 per hr you can build starter field. Power or Phone Company will likely give their old poles for back stop. Chicken/Hog wire for fence. Tractor with box scrape for infield and some 46-52" John Deere lawn mowers for the OF. Grass seed and hog chicken or cow poop. "If you build it they will come"................... put the money in your pocket. Start now be ready by FEB........ you may think it sounds crazy. A TB team in western NC area started this way. Now have 2 fields and a indoor area all to themselves and also rent it out.

 

There are quite a few city fields around Raleigh. I know that you can reserve a field for a fee I believe. It's not $85 per hour unless you need lights. I'm not sure how much it is, though.

That being said, if a team goes to a public field to practice I've never seen anyone run them off. Examples I'm aware of include Lions Park-3 fields; Oakwood, 2 fields; Marsh Creek, 1 field; Millbrook Exchange Park, 3 fields (most likely to be reserved); Carolina Pines, 3 fields. And there are more.

You take a chance that they may have been reserved but most every time I try to find a game or someone's practice, they are empty. During rec season expect to find them in use.

Don't leave them better than you found them; leave them as good as you found them. Your idea of what is better may conflict with the official idea.

For those days like we've had the past couple of weeks there are places like Grand Slam where you can rent enough space to practice a full team for less than $10 an hour per player in air conditioned comfort. AND demo the latest equipment.

 

Rental opportunity

In the Raleigh area... I will have a rental opportunity very soon.
Working on specifics....

will post when I get it done...

ps ... it is not at the college