Is Mecklenburg in a sports field 'crisis'?
Space is tight for youth games and practices, leagues say
The following article appeared in the May 3, 2024, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Mecklenburg County has 300 recreational fields — but some say it’s not enough to accommodate the needs of growing local youth sports leagues
Back-to-back soccer games were scheduled at Alexander Street Park on a recent Saturday afternoon. The county-owned park is located off North Davidson Street close to uptown.
by Lindsey Banks
Local youth sports league directors in some areas of Mecklenburg County say they're finding themselves in a pickle, with lots of kids who want to play team sports, but not enough local sports fields to hold practices and games.
It’s an issue county officials say they're trying to tackle with some alternative solutions, because finding available land for new fields is costly and difficult.
The county has more than 300 recreational fields that can be used for sports like soccer, baseball, softball and flag football. The county organizes recreational sports programs and also rents fields to outside organizations.
Myers Park Trinity Little League, a local baseball and softball league in south Charlotte, is seeing its growth stymied because of ballfield space. The league has waitlists for children interested in joining because the league can’t accommodate more players, said Rich Little, the league’s president.
Teams primarily play at Randolph Road Park, but when scheduling gets tight, the league rents fields from a middle school or partners with nearby churches that have open fields, which are sometimes a farther drive for families. The league serves nearly 1,000 local children from ages 4 to 16.
”In the spring, it gets tight,” Little said. “We do hear the parents say, ‘Well, that’s not real convenient,’ or ‘That’s too far away.’”
As of February, Mecklenburg County owns 3,003 acres for park projects that provide residents with trails, fields and nature preserves. County commissioners have set aside an additional $50M in the county budget this year for these projects, although it is unclear yet how much will go toward additional sports fields.