What do you see when you drive past the Columbus Soccer Complex?
Do you see an opportunity, or do you wonder why the city and county spent so much time and energy — and all of that money — for something only a fraction of the area residents can enjoy?
Your answer to those questions will be important to how this next piece of news is received: Tom Velek has resigned as director of coaching for soccer in Columbus and as director of competitive soccer for Columbus United, the competitive soccer club of the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority.
If you have been involved in youth sports in the past decade in Columbus, you know Velek. It would be safe to call him a patron of soccer in our community. He started from humble beginnings and, like many parents, he took on the role of coach, organizer, motivator, and instigator because his children were soccer players. Whether it was the creation of a TOPSoccer program (The Outreach Program for Soccer), a community-based training and team
placement program for young athletes with disabilities, or the development of Columbus recreational and competitive teams, just to name two accomplishments, there is no denying Velek has had a significant impact in elevating Columbus’ place in the state’s soccer community.
Velek spearheaded many of the efforts that have elevated soccer in Columbus even after telling people in the area he never thought Columbus would see a downtown facility like the one it enjoys now in his lifetime.
But Velek notified the members of the Columbus United Advisory Board on Wednesday that he was stepping away from both of the positions because he felt like he was merely holding things in place and that he thought it was time for someone new to take charge who could push matters forward.
The timing of Velek’s announcement came on a night when members of the Columbus United Advisory Board discussed the possibility of changing the format of the club’s long-standing Friends and Family event from a weekend of friendly matches to a tournament in which teams have to pay to play in a tournament in which wins, losses, and ties count. The notion of holding a college soccer showcase at the Columbus Soccer Complex also was raised. Both events could add to the economic boost Columbus receives from the facility. The tournaments or showcases also could generate additional revenue through corporate sponsorship that would raise the profile of soccer in Columbus and, in turn, help develop the city’s next generation of players.
But forward thinking like that too many times has been buffered with the belief that soccer in our city is falling behind. That thought was prevalent several years ago, as players trickled away for other opportunities in Starkville, Caledonia, Amory, and Tupelo. The perception was those communities had better facilities, better organization, or that Columbus, for whatever reason, simply didn’t stack up. The opening of the Columbus Soccer Complex in 2012 after years of wrangling and dealings quieted those thoughts, as the $4.23 million complex quickly became a centerpiece in downtown Columbus. Parking problems associated with the first season caused concern, but those problems have been addressed in the past few years. The product we have today has ample lighting, enough access points to ease traffic problems, and is connected to the Riverwalk so visitors and residents can utilize both at the same time.
As old issues have been laid to rest, new ones have popped up. The creation of Impact FC (Football Club) in Starkville gives parents and players who want to be involved with a Division I program under the Mississippi Soccer Association an alternative. There has been talk about the quality of the maintenance — namely the kind of grass on the fields and how it is cut — at the Columbus Soccer Complex. Some have wondered if too many high school soccer teams are using the complex’s fields in the winter and that that usage is degrading the quality of the playing surfaces.
That we’re thinking about these issues shows we have come a long way since 2009, when city and county officials picked the Burns Bottom neighborhood, a blighted area near the Highway 82 bypass leading into downtown Columbus, as the site for the nine-field facility. Construction began on the county-funded project in April 2011 and finished just before a September 2012 grand opening.
But we shouldn’t be satisfied simply to have a facility and not pay it the attention it deserves, or think it is magically going to maintain itself. A complex this big needs responsible daily maintenance and someone to steer it into the future. Without Velek, I fear the future of the Columbus Soccer Complex and the hopes of soccer in our city face an uncertain future without an advocate who knows and understands what needs to be done.
A director of coaching should have been hired when the complex was commissioned. That individual could have been entrusted to develop a master plan for the facility and to hold weekly or monthly coaching clinics and camps that would generate revenue and create better soccer players. That person could have established a plan for field usage in the winter and on days when it rains so soccer players and weekend warriors are kept off the fields.
Instead, the Columbus Soccer Complex has lived its first three years as an underutilized jewel. The CLRA handles too many activities and facilities and doesn’t have the manpower to devote the time and energy needed to galvanize the community or to convince it the Columbus Soccer Complex can bring so much more to our city.
That stagnation might have played a role in Velek’s decision to step aside. That is unfortunate because Velek, like so many volunteers, wasn’t appreciated enough. His resignation creates a void in our community that I am not sure can or will be filled.
With that in mind, think back to the initial questions. If you think Columbus can better utilize its downtown soccer complex, let’s hear your ideas. If you could care less, it would have been better if Velek’s statement about never seeing a facility in this city would have come true.
Adam Minichino is sports editor of The Dispatch. You can reach him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ctsportseditor.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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