by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 17/98) - While ice users can look forward to a new $9-million twin-pad arena, soccer and minor ball players are being sorely neglected, council was told Tuesday.

"Soccer should be part of the city's vision," said Ingrid Green, a former Team NWT soccer coach, player and an Aurora Minor Soccer League organizer.

The vision also excludes young players of minor ball, said Roy Ellis, president of the Yellowknife Minor Softball Association.

Ellis said players in the younger leagues are being crowded out of regulation-sized diamonds by slo-pitchers.

"Without these proper facilities, we can't teach kids the skills," said Ellis, explaining the infields are too hard to practise sliding, the outfields lack proper fences and the pitching rubber is not the proper distance from the plate.

Green noted soccer has surpassed hockey as Canada's favorite game, with 585,785 registered players last year.

That popularity is evident in the North, where last year 148 teams participated in the Yellowknife-hosted Super Soccer tournament, said Green. Four more tournaments are slated for the city this season.

"Are you aware the plan for the twin-pad arena includes a proposed super soccer field on the Olympic-sized surface?" asked Ald. Bob Brooks following Green's presentation.

Green said she knew of plans to allow for removal of some of the boards to allow for recessed goals, but added that an important ingredient -- a playable surface -- was not included.

"It's unsafe and unreasonable to expect children to play on concrete," said Green. With a proper surface, "the arena could provide a middle ground to support the growth of both indoor and outdoor soccer."

The younger players of Yellowknife minor ball have been relegated to inferior school diamonds, said Ellis, who asked council to make Parker Field a minor ball field for the months of May and June, waive the $2,600 in diamond rental fees it charges minor ball and contribute to a $10,000 engineering study of how the space of Parker field can be better used.

Council referred both Green and Ellis's concerns back to the community services committee for review.