By Christina Veiga
cveiga@MiamiHerald.com
Homestead this year was almost left without a youth soccer league for the first time in 20 years.
But in an abrupt about-face, John Ruiz of La Ley Sports, the operator of Homestead’s baseball stadium, said he will pay out of his own pocket to allow the league to continue.
“It would break my heart to see kids not be able to do what they want to do,” he told a packed City Hall audience.
Parents with children who play soccer in the city filled the council chambers to protest La Ley’s previous decision to no longer allow the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) to use the fields.
La Ley in July 2011 rented out the city-owned stadium, including the fields the soccer league used for practice and play. The company has struggled to keep the ballpark afloat, and the soccer program costs $25,000 in field repairs and $900 a day for lights, Ruiz said.
Last year, AYSO paid La Ley $5,000 to play at its fields.
Citing costs and scheduling issues, La Ley told AYSO in mid-May they could only use two fields to host almost 600 kids on 60 different teams, said the league’s organizer, Tim Norton.
“There’s no way,” that would have been possible, Norton said.
After complaints from Norton, a parent and a young coach on the league, Ruiz stood up.
“After having heard all of the comments from here, I will personally write a check from my own pocket and I’ll fix the fields,” he said.
That’s good news for 15-year old Ian Campbell, who has played on the league for years and recently became a coach.
“I learned a lot about soccer, and I think I developed some leadership skills also,” he said of his experience with AYSO.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
But in an abrupt about-face, John Ruiz of La Ley Sports, the operator of Homestead’s baseball stadium, said he will pay out of his own pocket to allow the league to continue.
“It would break my heart to see kids not be able to do what they want to do,” he told a packed City Hall audience.
Parents with children who play soccer in the city filled the council chambers to protest La Ley’s previous decision to no longer allow the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) to use the fields.
La Ley in July 2011 rented out the city-owned stadium, including the fields the soccer league used for practice and play. The company has struggled to keep the ballpark afloat, and the soccer program costs $25,000 in field repairs and $900 a day for lights, Ruiz said.
Last year, AYSO paid La Ley $5,000 to play at its fields.
Citing costs and scheduling issues, La Ley told AYSO in mid-May they could only use two fields to host almost 600 kids on 60 different teams, said the league’s organizer, Tim Norton.
“There’s no way,” that would have been possible, Norton said.
After complaints from Norton, a parent and a young coach on the league, Ruiz stood up.
“After having heard all of the comments from here, I will personally write a check from my own pocket and I’ll fix the fields,” he said.
That’s good news for 15-year old Ian Campbell, who has played on the league for years and recently became a coach.
“I learned a lot about soccer, and I think I developed some leadership skills also,” he said of his experience with AYSO.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/05/11/2795329/homestead-youth-soccer-will-keep.html#storylink=cpy
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