HOME FIELD STATUS
DDYSC families,
I would like to inform you with great excitement that we're scheduled to start training at our home field, Avondale Dunaire starting this Monday, October 2nd with home games for Academy Boys scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 14th and Academy Girls on Sunday, October 15th.
Please refer to "Academy and/or Select Training Schedule" tab to view and verify your training session details. Goalkeeper training will also move to Avondale and you can see the time/dates of these trainings under " Goalkeeper Training" tab.
The first phase of our collaborative effort that started on August 15th between DeKalb Parks and Rec., YMCA and our contractor has now been completed and the pitch is safe for our players take the field. However we kindly request ALL players to wear "flats" (turf or indoor or tennis shoes if they do not have turn/indoor option) to all training sessions. They are eligible to wear cleats ONLY on gamedays, as we want to minimize the impact on the field until further notice.
Since we have big plans we plan to complete in phases at this venue, I wanted to send a quick note to outline what you'll be seeing when you get there next week, with additional steps outlined, so that you're all aware of our long term plans. We hope to make our "den" worthy of Wolves.
You will find the possible next steps we plan to achieve below. At this point YMCA has spent over $55K for field refurbishments and our newly formed Wolves FC Foundation has given us $10K to add additional topsoil and complete last minute improvements (sprinkler system, soccer backstop nets, signage and equipment).
PHASE 1 - COMPLETE
No: 3 on the rendering - Refurbished Soccer Field: The field is refurbished with additional grass and we anticipate the "bermuda" grass to extend to the whole field by next fall. We're adding some more top soil next week to ensure the patch areas are filled out a bit more to ensure safety.
No: 6 on the rendering - Additional Training Facility: The bottom corner of the venue has also been treated and will continue to be maintained for usage, goalkeeper training, pre academy and training/games)
PHASE 2 - SPRING 2018/FALL 2018
No: 2 on the rendering - Restrooms and Concession Stand: We plan to use our old concession stand from the Patillo Fields by transferring it to our new home. The concession stand will be operational with limited offering for the remainder of the season. We plan to make a bigger statement with more extended offerings in the Spring 2018 season.
Although we'll be using porta-potties for the remainder of the season, we're in the process of costing/budgeting possible installation of a "semi-permanent bathroom.
No: 8 on the rendering - Fencing Improvements: We will be fixing/adding backstop nets to all posts that are structured on the field. All trees will also be trimmed for better usage of the field.
PHASE 3 - SPRING 2019/FALL 2019
No: 1 in the rendering - New Entry Drive and Parking Lot (upper lot): We will line/spray paint possible parking areas as well as driving instructions for the remainder of the season. We would like all families to use this main parking lot (and carpool if you can, due to limited parking) space. We plan to pave this as part of our phase 3 construction planning.
No: 7 on the rendering - New Drive and Parking Lot (lower lot): We will line/spray paint the lower driveway and driving instructions as this will be "ONLY DROP OFF - PICK UP AREA" for all families. Please note that we will be limiting parking to this lower level area to ensure our players safety during drop off and pick-ups. We plan to pave this as part of our phase 3 construction planning.
LAST PHASE - 2020
No: 4 on the rendering - New Spectator Seating: Planned for the last phase of the development
No: 5 on the rendering - New Lighting: We will be utilizing light towers for the time being to generate the needed light for late training sessions. Permanent lighting fixtures are planned for the last phase of the development and construction phase.
As you can see, we do have long term plans. Having said that, we definitely cannot achieve all of these by ourselves, and will always need our parents and fans to support us to accomplish these hefty tasks.Just to give you an idea, preliminary costing/budgeting shows that we will need around $375K to achieve our Phase 2 and 3 plans.As a result, we ask you to continue to support all of our initiatives, and take part in any way you can, to make this the best soccer club in our area, for your players and their teammates.
Below are several ways you can achieve this:
- Contact the chairs of one of our 7 Committees and volunteer
- Contact me to become one of our sponsors (family or business)
- Support all of our FUNdraising initiatives (buy tickets, attend to all events, etc...)
- Encourage players to join the Wolfpack (Rec, Pre-Academy, Academy and Select Programs)
In closing, I'm very confident that we're moving in the right direction, and will continue to grow stronger with your commitment and dedication to this wonderful club. Our club offers multiple opportunities to all players who want to learn, play, compete and enjoy this beautiful game.
Coach Turkish
Director of Coaching and Soccer
DDYSC Wolves
(404) 422-5793