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New sports complex alive with kids, teams
By JACKIE RIPLEY, Times Staff Writer KEYSTONE -- The coming year will find Ed Radice Sports Complex abuzz with activity, from soccer to softball. But a plan for youth soccer training camps could fall by the wayside if the Tampa Bay Mutiny gets cut from its 12-team league. Mutiny players practiced at the field and used the locker room. In exchange, the team would host soccer clinics for area youth. But Major League Soccer's Board of Governors is considering eliminating the Mutiny through contraction. "We won't have these professional level players doing the clinics for the kids" if that happens, said Scott Burkett, athletic director for Hillsborough Parks and Recreation. But "there would not be money drawn out of the program if the Mutiny goes away." A decision is expected in the next few weeks. By all accounts the complex, open since October, has been a success. The 150-acre complex on South Mobley Road has nine soccer fields, five baseball diamonds, five softball fields, three concession stands and more than 800 parking spaces. "Everyone's been very happy with it," said Hillsborough County senior recreation specialist John Brill. "I'm sure if we were looking to build in some other part of the county it would be a prototype." The $7.6-million sports complex also has been successful in attracting state tournaments. "The latest one to come will be softball," Brill said. The State of Florida High School Activities Association selected Ed Radice park for statewide softball tournaments to be held 2002-2003. "They'll go after other stuff as it comes down the road," Brill said. Jackie Ripley can be reached at 269-5308.
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From the Times |
