Woodland Soccer Club

In Our Parents Words

In late August of 2009 we experienced a bit of miscommunication with the Seattle Parks Dept. We learned just days before our fall season was to begin that we would not be able to use Wallingford Park to stage the several hundred games for our youngest players that we traditionally host there every fall.

The club board reached out to our parents, and asked them to contact Parks and our elected officials to ask that they postpone the planned field renovations until after the soccer season was completed.

The resulting outporing of messages to Parks and the City Council was very impressive, in several ways. For one, it convinced Parks and the City Council to intervene and delay the work so our season could proceed normally. (Whew! Many thanks to all the decision makers involved with that one!)

Another way in which the flood of messages was remarkable was that virtually all of the messages that were composed by our parents were altogether courteous, respectful, and eloquent. The WSC board believes that because of this the Parks staff and the City Council were sympathetic to our concerns, and were persuaded to graciously revise the scheduling and grant our families a reprieve.

But one other important result of this effort was that it provided all of us with a window into how our parents and others view the "product" of the Woodland Soccer Club.

Below are copies of some of the letters that were sent to City Hall and Parks on behalf of WSC. They, better than anything we could come up with, tell the story of what the Woodland Soccer Club is all about, and speak to our efforts at fulfilling our mission of providing a recreational sporting opportunity to the community.

---------------------------

Dear Mr Gallagher, Mr. Conlin, and Mr Rasmussen,

I've just seen the email regarding the closing of Wallingford Playfield for renovation. Please, could this be put off until after the eight week soccer season this fall? The Woodland Soccer Club has worked so hard and long to organize all the soccer teams, and we were all set to go!

My family loves the WSC because they're the only sports organization that lets kids play the sport even if they're not very good. This has been a huge, and greatly needed, boost to our daughter's self-esteem for the past 5 years. If the renovation happens now I don't see how the fall soccer season can happen. Please, can you reconsider the time for the renovation so the kids can start playing in September?

---------------------------

Dear Tim, Richard and Tom,

I write as a concerned parent because I just heard about the plans for Wallingford Park.  It’s great that the plan is to re-furbish the grass, but the timing couldn’t be worse.  There was no notice to our soccer club to make other arrangements for 400 little players to play their games elsewhere. 

My son started playing in his kindergarten year and he started practicing with his team of seven years a couple of weeks ago and we both look forward to the community that soccer brings as the school year starts.  This is the longest commitment to an activity he has made in his short life and I cannot imagine life without it.  He and many other little guys could barely stay upright when they played “3 on 3” with no goalie at Wallingford. 

I am inspired by how many of us parents volunteer and make each season come together, regardless the hurdles.  We volunteer as coaches, team managers, referees, field set up and more.  I get my adult time with peer parents as the kids play and we parents talk about school and share valuable information on all matters about parenting. 

I have been a single parent struggling to make ends meet and have been determined to have healthy, consistent activities for my son to be involved with and his willingness to commit to practice, to work on skills, to work on sportsmanship will help him as he starts middle school next week.  Likewise, I have found and have maintained an incredible group of supports.

It would be sad for this invaluable community resource to be halted at last minute as the 2009 season starts up.  Our beginning players and their families may not know yet how much our soccer community will mean to them.  They need us seasoned soccer parents to plead on their behalf and I do so with all of my heart.  Please work with Duncan Munro, with Woodland Soccer Club, to figure out a way to resolve this issue.  There is so much hardship everywhere right now and our players and families have always been grateful to have this consistent fall routine to look forward to. 

---------------------------

Hello Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Conlin, and Mr. Rasmussen 

We are concerned parents, with 2 children who are part of the Woodland Soccer Club (with 2 more children hoping to play in upcoming years).  We were notified today about the Parks Departments’ decision to re-furbish the grass at Wallingford Park in the very near future.  This decision adversely affects our children’s access to their neighborhood soccer club, which is scheduled to begin next week. This decision seems to be without any advance warning, and totally off the radar of those who run the club.   

This year we chose to continue participating in the WSC, even though our kids are now eligible to play through their school CYO teams, simply because we value the chance to play with children & families in our neighborhood, on a field very close to home.  It would be a shame to deny more than 400 kids and their families the chance to play.  WSC is an entirely volunteer-based organization that puts on a fun and well-run league for our kids to learn the sport of soccer. Please strongly consider delaying this project until our short, 8-week season is over.

---------------------------

--------------------------

----------------------------

-----------------------------

Dear Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Conlin, Mr. Rasmussen:  

I have learned of the eminent closure of Wallingford Field for turf repairs from Duncan Munro of Woodland Soccer Club.  The soccer club has scheduled the use of this field for youth soccer practices and games for 8 weeks in September and October, after receiving permission in July 2009.   

I have two children that are in the Woodland Soccer Club and I am sad that the field will be closed since it will directly impact my children, who benefit from playing soccer for the physical exercise and the social lessons learned from playing on a team.  At this time Woodland Soccer Club members are frustrated because they don’t have another alternate field for the 400 families that have signed up for soccer this fall.  The fall 2009 soccer season is in jeopardy of being canceled at the last minute.  My kids are excited about playing and I don’t want to disappoint them.  

So, I kindly ask you to open Wallingford Field for soccer this fall and do turf maintenance at another time which can be coordinated ahead of time with organizations that use the park.

-------------------------------

Dear Tim, Richard, and Tom,

I am writing on behalf of my 7 year old son, Leo. He is scheduled to begin with Team Megalodon, one of many teams in the Woodland Soccer Club, part of Seattle Youth Soccer, in a few weeks. This will be his first year, and first go at being on an official ‘team’. We are very excited for him, and he has shown great enthusiasm and potential for soccer.

The club has made us aware that there has suddenly been scheduled some work to be done, turf work, at the Wallingford Park, which will preclude our club’s usage of the park for practices and games currently scheduled there. I know that Woodland Soccer Club, from our initial dealings with them, is volunteer led by some very dedicated staff who work hard to make things work and get things done, recruiting help all the way. If the club is not allowed to use the field, I fear my son’s first year on an official team may not be all that it could be due to the extensive requirements of rescheduling, and the potential over-usage of other fields as a result.

I know that Wallingford Park has often had issues with it’s grass, and I highly respect and value the Parks department for the work they have planned to implement for the betterment of the park. I would respectfully like to add my voice to the chorus of those requesting a short delay in the turf work until after our season is over, mid November I believe. This will allow ample time in the down season for the turf (November and or February are great times for turf work, I have found!) to be available without making countless hours of volunteer time go to waste, and keeping our usage at other parks in favorable quantities to their turf.

Please take a moment to make this happen for the hundreds of citizens of Seattle who continue to work hard to help thousands of our kids be healthy members of the community who respect each other and the environment through the Seattle Youth Soccer Association. I know Leo and our family will appreciate knowing that the schedule will stand without the added stressor of not knowing where we will play from week to week. The time you choose to take toward helping us implement this delay is greatly valued and appreciated.

-------------------------------

Gentlemen,

I am a 2nd year coach for the SYSA Woodland Soccer Club and work with great local families- our players are ages 7-8 years old and include my son Jake.  Soccer is a worldly sport connecting the players to the rest of our nation and the world.  Local fields make it possible for working families like mine to coach teams after work/school and play games on weekends.  Fields "out of the area" don't allow us the time and convenience to bring soccer to our local families.  

Please work to find a solution amenable to all parties in this situation.  We love the idea of proper care, maintenance, and regular improvements to our local fields!  However we can't change directions with 400+ players, coaches, parents and volunteers on such short notice.  

On behalf of my fellow Coaches, Parents, Volunteers and Players we look forward to working with you this week.  

Best regards,

Dave Leischner
Head Coach Team Megalodon (a large prehistoric shark)
U-8 Woodland Soccer League

--------------------------------

Dear Mr. Gallagher,

Thank you for taking time to read my note. I am one-year new to Seattle and have been thrilled to land in a city so dedicated to maintaining beautiful and accessible public spaces dedicated to play. In our first year, we have explored and enjoyed several parks in our neighborhood, Wallingford Playfield and Meridian Park, almost daily. My two young daughters have both mastered the monkey bars and constantly find new ways to take advantage of these incredible community resources. Thank you for your personal and professional dedication to maintaining Seattle's public spaces!

I am writing you today because I just learned that our local soccer club, Woodland Soccer Club, may not have access to its traditional fields at Wallingford Playfield for the season starting in 12 days. My daughter Maggie has been talking about getting her orange jersey for the last 12 months and now that she is eligible for a U-6 girls team with WSC, our whole family is looking forward to volunteering, cheering and supporting all the youngsters in our community for whom WSC provides a healthy, spirited and non-threatening introduction to one of the world's favorite sports.

Many many volunteer hours of planning have been invested in utilizing the Wallingford Playfield space again this fall, and changing the fields will cause some challenges for hundreds of volunteers and young players. I can only imagine that you are trying to balance many competing priorities as you work to ensure the best for Wallingford Playfield.

I firmly endorse the concept of improving the park’s grassy field--and I would like to respectfully request that the commencement of the field improvements be postponed until after the short WSC season this fall.

Again, thank you for your commitment to serving our community and all its members. My family and I greatly appreciate your consideration.

----------------------------------

Dear gentlemen,

I got the news of the closing of Wallingford Park's playing field from the WYSA. The WYSA is a real blessing for the community. I've coached in the league for about seven years and watched my kids come up through it, and seen what a great group of volunteers has kept it going over the years. I hope you will take every consideration possible for the needs of the WYSA, and try to accommodate their games and practices at Wallingford Park.

----------------------------------

Dear Councilmember Conlin,

We need help! The Woodland Soccer Club is a low-cost, volunteer-run organization that serves kids of all abilities in the Wallingford/Greenlake area. Suddenly, and without any notice to the club, we have learned that the Parks Dept has decided to re-furbish the grass field at Wallingford Park – at precisely the moment that our soccer season is set to begin. Our littlest members play there. On Saturdays it seems that half the local elementary school is there. It is a key focal point of our community.

----------------------------------

September 1, 2009

Summer is winding down and there is a change in the air. Families are packing in the last of their summer hurrahs and preparing for school to start. The start of school also represents the start of fall soccer season for many families.

We had a wonderful and nurturing experience last year as our son played on an organized soccer team for the first time. The Woodland Soccer Club is run smoothly and fairly, and the work of the club and our coaches establishes invaluable principles of sportsmanship and fun in these young children. This sets them up for a lifetime of enjoying sports and feeling a part of our community.

We registered our child for his second year of soccer back in May, and we have all been looking forward to it ever since. Without prompting by the club, our wonderful coach has already held some fun get-togethers to reconnect the team for the coming weeks and everyone is excited.

You can imagine the alarm we felt when we heard this week that Wallingford Playfield has been taken away from the Seattle Youth Soccer Association (SYSA) -- our season starts on the 12th!

While I can appreciate the fact that it's important to maintain our great community spaces, I am sure that our players and their families would be very grateful if you could delay your maintenance project for only the 8 weeks of our Fall 2009 season. PLEASE consider this accomodation!

----------------------------------

Hello,
 
I'd like to strongly voice my support for making any and all efforts to keep Wallingford Park open for the Fall 2009 season of the Woodland Soccer Club.
 
From what I understand, the league, league president Duncan Munro and SYSA had done the work and due diligence with the Parks dept to allocate use of this field for the Fall season. We were not informed until jthis week, right before the season is about to begin, that the field is not available. This puts everyone in a very tough position and creates potential problems and disappointment for the kids and families in our community.
 
The league, parents and coaches put in many, many hours volunteering to help create a wonderful experience for hundreds of kids. I can not think of a better use for our parks than to walk in and see kids playing on the fields and on the playgrounds surrounded by friends, family and neighbors. It strikes me as wrong and discouraging that this news was delivered so late. I'm not sure I understand all of the reasons why this happened and feel we have the right to push back this decision until either an open discussion can take place or simply wait until after the season ends.
 
I am one of many parents whose life and whose child's life has been enriched by the league. Watching these kids play in an organization run completely by volunteers whose only goal is to help kids have fun and develop teamwork is amazing. It's one of the things I love and treasure about Seattle. It makes Seattle a better place to live.
 
Please hold off on doing this for the fall season and please give the parents, coachs and volunteers a chance to make their voices heard for future decisions about using the park.
 
Thanks for your support and let me know what I can do as parent and voter to help the league's efforts.

-----------------------------------

Dear Seattle Parks officials,

I am a mother of 5 and 7 year old daughters, anticipating coaching kindergarteners this fall and writing to voice my sadness that the Wallingford park venue may not be an option this fall.  Over the 14 years that I have lived in Seattle, the past 2 fall soccer seasons at Wallingford park have afforded the most pleasant and connected sense of engagement in my local community that I have experienced.  We walk or bike to games and practice and the girls play in an ideal location looking out over the city, while we adults run into people who we rarely if ever see during the rest of the year, though they live in our neighborhood.

Sadly, in our typically busy, driving-everywhere lives this is a unique experience and one that I value highly, and think my children will look back upon very fondly.

I am sure I do not understand all of the complexity behind the re-turfing decision, but am hoping that a bid for supporting local community will be considered.

------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Conlin and Mr. Rasmussen,

I am writing to you on behalf of all of the wonderful young Woodland Soccer club members who are enthusiastically looking forward to playing soccer at Wallingford Park in a couple of weeks. I myself am blessed with three young children, one of them, a seven year old boy, who is looking forward to his third season at Wallingford, and two of them, five year old girls, who have been looking forward with great anticipation to their first season at Wallingford Park. It would be a shame to disappoint them with the news that they won't be able to play their games because the grass needs to be repaired at this exact same time.

Please don't get me wrong, I do applaud the Parks department's sense of urgency in wanting to improve the Wallingford Park grass, however it seems both logical and simply the right thing to do, under the circumstances, to wait until after soccer season ends, (which is a short time away at the end of next month), to take care of any and all necessary improvements.

Gentlemen, I also think it is relevant to point out that I not only voted to pass the measure to improve the parks, but I actively rallied my friends and co-workers to do so as well, and was happy to see that it passed, in spite of such challenging economic times for many of us. I cheerfully pay additional taxes to improve our parks because I believe it is the right thing to do for our entire community. However, the last thing I would expect would be for these same improvements to potentially result in the cancellation of childrens' soccer games at one our most beloved neighborhood parks.

Please postpone the grass improvements until November. I, along with hundreds of small children with muddy clothes, scraped knees and huge smiles, will thank you.