Portage Soccer Club Practice Facility 8201 Cox's Drive (Revised 6-Apr-2010)

Click here for Spring 2010 TENTATIVE schedule for practice fields.

The practice facility has been in use for two years now and we need everyone to be responsible users and help keep it in good shape. That means being careful not to overuse the area in front of the goals (especially the goals nearest the parking), and everyone picking up after themselves before leaving.

Please remember the same rules are in effect as for the main soccer complex (no pets, no parking on the grass, and of course no smoking or alcohol or drugs), and no unauthorized use. Cars should enter and stay on the right half of the parking area as they drive further in. Please park sharply in, squarely facing the fields to your right so we can fit as many cars as possible on Thursday evenings. After cars come in as far to the east as they need to, they can make a U-turn, and again, park squarely facing the fields to their right (north of the parking) as close together as practical, or exit. PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY.

Repair work on fields 1 and 2 last year means we hope field #2 can now be used either as a full size field (north-south) or a U12 field (east-west) after the goals are reconfigured. The U12 field just east of the parking area (Field 7) is also in routine use and a new area south of field 7 is now available for use. The Pfizer adult league will continue to use three fields Thursday evenings beginning April 23, so parking space will be at a premium and all drivers are asked to park facing the fields, and close to the car next to you. The advantage to PSC of renting fields to the Pfizer league is that the rental money will be used to purchase fertilizer and weed killer to help improve the quality of the turf. And purchase paint to stripe at least three of the fields.

As shown by the diagram below, Fields 3-6 are full size. Field 1 is U10 size, Fields 2 and 7 are U12 size, and Area 8 south of Field 7 is currently U10 size without goals. For a diagram of the fields, click here. Only part of Area 8 is currently safe to use, and that's the part of the old baseball outfield (see aerial view below). The edge of the infield and the infield itself is uneven and would be hard on the ankles so we'll stay away from that area until we're able to bring in some topsoil and get it ready for use. For the practice schedule, see below.

For a description of the development of the practice facility, go to the Practice Facility History page. The PSC Board would like to thank the 275 players and parents who worked in the fall of 2006 to get the fields ready (see photos), and would like to especially thank the facilities volunteers of Verne Genesio, John Calnin, Gordon Groves, Sean Bowser, Mike Flynn, and David Rice for all the extra work they did then and continue to do this spring at the practice facility (and they maintain the main complex too).

The PSC Facilities Committee reserves the right to move teams based on turf conditions.
Otherwise, teams are asked to practice on the field they're assigned to even out the wear. If we wear out
the grass in front of the goals, it won't come back unless we take that area out of service for 18 months
For a map of the fields, click here.

If you want to change your team's field assignment or time, it's important that you email nbjansen@gmail.com with your request so we can notify facilities volunteers who cut grass and stripe lines (there could be other work done that might restrict access at times). Without proper notification, the field planned to use may be out of service for cutting or striping, or you may not be able to get into the area. Facilities workers use the schedule on this web page.

Special reservations below:

There will be grey buckets on each field to deposit residual rocks that may be present
Parents are asked to spend a few minutes picking up any rocks they can find on their child's field after they drop off and before they pick up. Ask the coach which areas of his/her field are not in use.
There will be other buckets with small quantities of dirt to fill any holes we missed earlier.
    (please use the dirt sparingly to minimize the amount of mud after it rains)

Map of Practice Fields superimposed on aerial view from 1989

amazing soccer goal