What's wrong with the Northwest Recreation Complex?

Last Tuesday, I walked Northwest Recreation Facility (NWRC) Pads 1-12. The attached pictures represent only eight of the 115 pictures that I took. The 115 pictures I took only represent a portion of the hundreds of additional examples that could have been taken.  

The white sand patches in the pictures are equivalent to putting lipstick on a pig. Those bare spots must be filled appropriately, groomed, rolled, re-seeded, and maintained.

Having attended primarily soccer games since 2006, the fields are worse than ever. These fields need to be properly maintained.

These fields have been and continue to be rented to outside clubs for games and tournaments. Outside clubs use our fields while they rest and properly maintain their home fields.

This is at the expense of our field conditions.  

Athletic fields must have timely and proper interventions like rotating utilization, aerating, fertilizing, rolling, leveling, weeding, watering, etc.  Resting the fields without the attention above and proper maintenance led to the deplorable condition you see in these pictures.  

In talking with some baseball and softball coaches, their fields “enjoy” similar conditions as Pads 1-12.

At one time, NWRC earned and enjoyed the reputation of possessing some of the finest fields in Florida.  Not so by a long shot now.

In playing any sport, athletes are exposed to potential injury.  The condition of the NWRC fields with the holes, uneven grade, bare spots, etc. SHOULD NOT BE the cause of Player injury.  The current condition of these fields poses a risk to anyone who will play on them.

We MUST level the playing field when it comes to field rental rates.

A difference of $0.53 per hour to $98.00 per hour for field rental is beyond comprehension, especially given that these organizations primarily serve Apopka Youth.  

Currently, the Central Florida Soccer Club (“CFSC”) pays $98.00 per hour, Apopka Raptors (flag football) $0.53 per hour, Apopka Little League (both baseball and softball) $0.65 per hour, and Pop Warner $1.11 per hour.  

To add insult to injury, CFSC pays an additional $25.00/hour/field for their games!  None of the other clubs do!!!

Please see the attached spreadsheet for more details as to field rental rates:

Editor's Note: Rod Olsen is a former HOA President of Rock Springs Ridge and an Apopka resident who often contributes his opinions at the Apopka City Council meetings during the public comments section and in frequent op/eds with The Apopka Voice.