Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

You Told Us: Should Astoria Park Get a Soccer Field?

By Jeanmarie Evelly | January 29, 2016 4:53pm | Updated on February 1, 2016 8:56am
 The councilman wants to build a soccer field in the center of the running track at Astoria Park.
The councilman wants to build a soccer field in the center of the running track at Astoria Park.
View Full Caption
Costa Constantinides's Office

You Told Us is a regular feature highlighting comments from users in the communities DNAinfo New York covers.

ASTORIA — A proposal to build a professional-sized soccer field at Astoria Park has gotten mixed reviews from residents, with some hailing the idea as a win for the neighborhood while others felt it was unnecessary.

Councilman Costa Constantinides pitched the idea earlier this week, saying he wants to turn the patchy grass area in the center of park's running track into a $3 million soccer field that could host tournaments and other events.

Bringing the project to life would depend on funding and community support, according to a Parks Department spokeswoman.

Some DNAinfo readers were all for the idea.

► "Absolutely," said Neighborhood Square user Jenny23. "This plan not only addresses the needed renovation in this section of the park but acknowledges the love of the sport by many of our residents. I am all for it."

► "yes, please," agreed user jutta-ishii. "Soccer is very popular and there is a lack of soccer fields. right now the field is neglected and run down."

But others argued that there are already plenty of soccer fields across the bridge on Randall's Island, and putting one in Astoria Park would only bring more crowds to the heavily-used green space.

► "Leave Astoria Park alone. Do we really need the overflow traffic soccer games would cause. Its tough enough for parents with small children to find parking now when they want to bring their kids to the playground," Neighborhood Square user Billmack6 wrote.

► "All a soccer field would do is make the park a bigger mess," user Bpwizz said. "Instead of a soccer field fix and repair the park which is terrible shape."

In a discussion about the proposal on the neighborhood message board Astorians.com, some said that while they support bringing a soccer field to Astoria Park, they don't agree with Constantinides' proposed location.

► "It would be great to have a place for soccer, but I will never forget the time I saw a big guy chasing a ball knock right into a small woman running on the track and an ambulance had to be called for her. Scary," user 60decibels posted.

► "This is an idea that sounds great in theory but I can't see how building a FIFA-sized pitch won't affect other activities at the track," user 28Grand wrote. "It can only mean sacrificing Track & Field events and athletics training for soccer."

A spokeswoman for Constantinides said the running track would remain open under his proposal, and the soccer field would not interfere with the track.

The exact design of the field — and whether a fence would separate it from the track or not — has not been determined yet, she said.