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Economic Woes For Local Sports Clubs

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SANTA ROSA COUNTY - The failing economy is putting a major hurt on recreation programs across the region.

Already forced to pay for the up keep of their fields... A Santa Rosa County Youth Soccer League is dealing with another financial setback.

As Channel Three’s Bill Pearson shows us... It could force some parents to make a tough decision.

Its a typical day of competition for a couple of Santa Rosa County soccer teams.

The players love this game.

Payton Ellis said, "Its in the very back, and you stop the ball when the ball is coming toward you and you make it go forward."

While there’s a lot of fun on the field.. league managers are dealing with serious financial burdens.

Club Santa Rosa, based in Pace, is already having to pay 10 thousand dollars a year to the county to keep these fields in top condition.... a fee that could go up again.

Rick Greene said, "Last year we had to raise the registration fees for the youth, recreation kids. And its tough, because it does put a burden on the parents that can’t necessarily afford it."

Rick Greene is a V-P with Club Santa Rosa.

He says the league’s newest challenge... Figure out how to survive without eighty-eight hundred dollars in registration fees the club never received.

Parents did pay the fees to an on-line registration company.

But that company went bankrupt, having never given that money to the league

Leaving another major dent in the soccer club’s budget.

Greene said, "It is tough, I worry about it everyday. As do all the other parents on the board here. We want to see the club survive. We try and not let is who to the kids, because the kids just want to play soccer."

But some are worried the rising costs facing the club could eventually run some players off.

David Seevers said, "This is a social avenue, a creative avenue. It’s good for so many things beyond just playing soccer, I think there would be a tremendous impact."

Payton Ellis said, "We always got a lot of people from the school to come play that have never played before and they actually really like it. It’s really fun."

Soccer club leaders are planning more fund raisers and hope to attract sponsors... Anything that will prevent them from passing any cost increases onto parents.