Update 16 July 2010: Charlottesville’s getting an indoor turf field … at the Ice Park.
Plans are to offer an ice rink for six months of the year, from October through March, and a turf field for the remainder of the year. Visitors to the arena will now be able to take part in both winter and summer sports programs, from public ice skating to indoor soccer and lacrosse.
Courteney Stuart has more at the HooK on Mark Brown, the new owner of the Ice Park.
You probably didn’t hear it, but a shift happened on Sunday in the Charlottesville soccer scene.
Playing and coaching soccer in Charlottesville for years, first coaching one kid from U-8 up and in the process of starting another, playing in SOCA’s adult league for nearly seven years, I have always lamented the lack of soccer league competition. No more.
Last Sunday marked the first week of soccer for CvilleSocial. The early reviews are that it’s fantastic to have soccer competition in Charlottesville. Turf fields. For soccer players in Charlottesville, this is Huge.
The big dog in the Charlottesville soccer scene has (always) been SOCA – the Soccer Organization of Charlottesville. Monticello United has recently offered competition for the youth league as well, but there has never been more than one option for adult soccer in Charlottesville.
Here’s a quick primer on adult soccer in Charlottesville/Albemarle:
SOCA offers Spring and Fall 11 -v- 11, Summer 8 -v- 8 and Winter indoor 5 -v- 5 (our region desperately needs an indoor soccer facility … and there might be hope for that).
CvilleSocial’s Summer offering is 6 -v- 6 on TURF fields. Yep, turf. At the newly-renovated Park at UVA. The Park is located just down the hill from UVA’s Law and JAG schools.