Courtesy: The Enterprise


GOALLLLLLLL -- and for Brockton soccer, this one's a game changer

Brockton received a $400,000 grant from the state this week, after submitting an application to turn a park with a baseball field and basketball courts into a soccer-centric facility. However, Brockton's city planner said on Wednesday that details of the project are not set in stone.

by Marc Larocque

BROCKTON - The proposed makeover of a Brockton park is now one step closer to reality.

The city received a $400,000 grant from the state this week after submitting a proposal to turn Gilbert Walker Park and Playground into a soccer-centric facility, getting rid of the baseball field and basketball courts that now exist there.

The plan has been championed by Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter, who has spoken to local soccer players and others from the community about the plan. The Walker Park proposal led to opposition by supporters of baseball in the city, along with some neighborhood youth who play basketball there.

However, Brockton's city planner said on Wednesday that details of the project are not set in stone.

"While there was a conceptual drawing submitted with the application, it does not mean that is what will be built," said Rob May, director of planning and economic development at Brockton City Hall. "We are aware of the community's concerns and will work with the neighbors to design and build a park we can all be proud of."

An application submitted by Brockton earlier this year for the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities grant calls for a renovation project that includes the installation of a full-size soccer field, a youth-sized soccer field, a "futsal" court, a new playground, a walking loop and fresh landscaping. Futsal is a miniature version of soccer played on a hard surface with smaller teams.

The 5.9-acre city-owned property currently features an aging baseball field, along with neglected, cracked basketball and tennis courts. Walker Park is located off of North Main Street in the Montello area.

May said that, just like the city's ongoing efforts to use grant funding to renovate Keith Park, there is going to be an open and "community-focused" design process for Walker Park.

"We believe there is enough space to accommodate a new playground, basketball court, futsal, and a junior sports field," May said. "Of course, the final design will be a result of a community process."

Public meetings about the future of Walker Park will take place after the new year, May said.

Scroll to the bottom of the story to view excerpts from Brockton's application for the Walker Park soccer facility grant.

Deb Garland, a Brockton resident, who collected around 300 signatures from baseball teams and neighborhood residents to oppose making Walker Park into a soccer complex, said that many would be open to adding a junior soccer field there.

"Every neighborhood should have a soccer field," Garland said. "It's a popular sport. But do I feel they should take everything away from all the kids and make it one sport? No. That just seems wrong. I think all kids should be included in any design of any park in the city."

Others said they were concerned with parking problems that could come with a soccer complex. Garland also claimed that there are only two public baseball fields in the city that are available, including Walker Park.

"It does need updating," she said. "We all agree the city has not maintained any of that park over the years. It's been left to ruin."

The Brockton Parks Department previously put out a statement that transforming Walker Park into a soccer-oriented facility is meant to "better meet the needs of the city." Soccer is very popular among immigrant communities in the city, but there aren't many proper fields in Brockton. In a July 7 letter to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, Brockton Superintendent of Parks Timothy Carpenter said that the city was "leveraging social resources in the Cape Verdean and Haitian community" as part of its outreach surrounding the soccer complex project.

Carpenter, the mayor, told a group of soccer players about the project earlier this year, stating that it would cost $500,000 to redevelop the park. Carpenter said the $100,000 not covered by the grant would come from city funds. He said it would be built next year.

"This is going to be a real soccer field like we don't have here right now," Carpenter said.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com