Dear editor,In his letter entitled Enough is enough (Record, Jan. 27), Francois Lepine no doubt incensed many readers.My rebuttal, however, is limited to his comments pertaining to soccer. Here are some points of clarification.In his letter, he said; 鈥淢ost soccer players in Canada would be overjoyed to play on a grass field in January, as is possible here鈥�.鈥� Actually, the majority of grass fields in the valley have been closed for mostly all of December and January, as is the case every year, which is one of the primary reasons that artificial turf fields are needed here. He went on to say 鈥溾�ut local soccer players wanted more and almost got all the rest of us to pay for it.鈥� Actually, those who want more include not only the 1,500 member-strong soccer club plus its coaches and parents, but also other sports groups including field-hockey and field-lacrosse.The reality is the entire community stands to benefit from the proposed fields, particularly the student population of school district 71, as well many of the local hotels and businesses due to the economic spinoffs of sports tourism. As for paying for it, the soccer club is committing $800,000 towards the project, which is a very sizable amount.Bigger picture cost savings include those derived from local medical system on account of improved community health and well-being, as well as those from the policing and judicial systems for keeping more kids occupied with a healthy activity and out of trouble.Moreover, the popularity of soccer is skyrocketing in Canada, as was just demonstrated by the recent Olympic qualifying tournament in Vancouver. Soccer is a healthy affordable sport that inspires our young people and builds communities by bringing families together.Rather than criticize the 鈥減arade that never ends,鈥� the writer ought to be thankful and recognize that this parade consists mostly of dedicated volunteers who care enough about this community and the people in it to spend their valuable time helping to make it even better.鈥淗igh taxes and sub-standard basic municipal services may deter new arrivals鈥�, but so too may the lack of in-demand infrastructure such as artificial turf fields, an aspect in which compared to other communities, ours is sadly lagging behind.Matthew BlechaEditor's note: Matthew Blecha is the president of the Comox Valley United soccer Club.
