10 Reasons Why Fields Matter

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1.PLAY IS IMPORTANT. Space to play is one of the greatest gifts we can give the youth of our community. Outdoor team sports develop kids physically, socially and emotionally, and are a proven antidote to the national epidemic of childhood obesity. Involvement in sports and other extra-curricular activities also helps kids academically, fosters community and serves as a deterrent to risky behavior and substance abuse.
2.MORE KIDS PLAYING THAN EVER. Over the past 10 years, our student population has increased by nearly 24%. A demographic study predicts growth will continue, with a 12% increase at the high school alone over the next 10 years. Involvement in field sports has likewise increased dramatically in both school and community programs, compounded by a welcome increase in girls participating. The school district sponsors 30 field teams involving about 700 students. Local youth programs add over 5500 participants with nearly 2600 games and 6500 practices a year! And growing!
3.BIG KIDS NEED BIG FIELDS. Small patches of grass might work for our youngest participants; but most community programs and all interscholastic teams need regulation-size fields to have real games and meaningful practices. Our community has very few multi-use fields that are big enough for lacrosse, field hockey, soccer, or football. The School District has only one — shared between 20 teams! Large baseball fields are in even shorter supply. The challenge of this community is to find spaces large enough for regulation-size fields.
4.FEWER FIELDS TO PLAY ON. As demand has increased, the field supply has been shrinking! The Hommocks baseball field was replaced by the new auditorium. Bellows Field is out of commission because of a construction project. Central’s multi-use field has been shut down repeatedly because of an unsafe playing surface. Memorial Park and Florence Park don’t issue permits anymore for sports. Other fields have been lost from the inventory for various other interests. Our primary grass fields — like Flint, Lorenzon, and the two behind Hommocks — are often closed because of reseeding and maintenance, especially in key pre-season training weeks. And Harbor Island fields, also subject to closures, are now frequently set aside for Mamaroneck Village adult leagues.
5.RAINOUTS ON SUNNY DAYS. It’s one thing to cancel games and practices when it’s actually raining; but in this community we routinely have a second or third day of cancellations because our few precious fields need to dry out. Even in good weather, our fields are so over-used as to be unsafe; so they are often shut down for lengthy “rest periods.” Hommocks is closed every Wednesday. Our community has no indoor or artificial turf alternatives to help alleviate these recurring problems.

6.CUTTING BACK MEANS CUTTING KIDS. With a severe field shortage, something has to give. Already the high school can’t offer intramural programs after school, and the middle school can’t offer enough modified teams to accommodate interested kids. Freshman teams are next in line to be eliminated if we can’t increase field capacity and reduce scheduling conflicts. Likewise, community leagues hard-pressed to find fields have little choice but to offer fewer teams and/or reduce the number of games scheduled. Several teams trying to form this fall were turned away due to a lack of space for practice and games.
7.INCREASED FIELD CAPACITY IS A WIN-WIN. Imagine it. No more reduced practice schedules. No more traveling 40 minutes to other communities — as the field hockey team does pre and post season — to borrow available fields. No more “postponed” games that are never rescheduled. No more stopping games early because of overlaps. In the spirit of fair competition, we owe it to our youth to support their best efforts with adequate facilities and give them a fighting chance.
8.WE KNOW OUR COMMUNITY CAN DO BETTER. Two villages, a town and a school district control the fields here — and lots of leagues use them. It is time for the leaders of Larchmont and Mamaroneck to work together to find a solution — as most of our neighboring communities have done. In the past 5 years, Rye, Scarsdale, New Rochelle, Eastchester, Rye Brook, Bronxville, Mt. Vernon, Bedford, Dobbs Ferry, Greenwich, Lakeland, Mahopac, Pleasantville, Putnam Valley, Valhalla, Carmel, Fishkill, Yorktown, Ossining and Suffern have all improved or expanded their varsity playing fields. Most of these include new turf fields which have been funded either wholly or in part by private fundraising efforts.
9.THE TIME IS NOW. With the recent ruling by the high court of appeals, the school district won the right to go forward with a plan to move the Kemper Memorial and add a field at the high school. As this is a controversial proposal, the issue of fields is front and center right now. And we must keep it there. If local politicians don’t want the School District to move the Memorial, they must step up and contribute to a real solution for the kids and teens of Larchmont-Mamaroneck. Now is the time to let our leaders know that wellness, recreation and a healthy lifestyle are priorities of this community. They have received many letters and emails already; and they are starting to listen and research creative alternatives. The time is now to raise the volume so that results are achieved soon.
10.PLAY IS IMPORTANT. For the benefit of our kids, this one bears repeating.