To the editor:

There is a current effort being lead by PLAY to fund a feasibility study to determine the current and future needs for a state-of-the-art multisport facility in our community. PLAY stands for Partners for Lawrence Athletics and Youth. I am writing to urge you to help communicate the need for all Douglas County residents to become a supporter for this effort.

I am a coach and member of the Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. KVSA serves more than 1,400 Douglas County children. KVSA is a nonprofit, fee-based organization. While we currently have soccer fields to practice and play on at the YSI complex, these fields are overused. There currently is no adequate source of revenues to improve the YSI fields short of increasing fees to a prohibitive level. Also, KVSA holds two annual competitive soccer tournaments that bring teams into Lawrence from all over Kansas and neighboring states. These tournaments have the potential to grow, bringing enormous benefits to the Lawrence community. But YSI is limited by inadequacy of the existing fields for competitive play.

Lawrence lags behind just about every other community in the number and quality of the existing sports facilities. PLAY’s proposal would remedy all that and unite the community around the common purpose of providing all Douglas County youth with adequate facilities to enjoy and compete in all sports, indoor and outdoors. I strongly urge readers to support this effort.

Kelly Ryan,

Lawrence