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Saint Mary's Soccer warns of field shortages as travel teams expand into regional leagues
Summary
Club director Maria Scott told the Recreation and Parks Board that Saint Mary's Soccer has 2,600 participants across programs and is increasingly constrained for playable game and practice fields as teams move into higher-level regional leagues.
Maria Scott, director of operations for Saint Mary's Soccer, briefed the Recreation and Parks Board on growth in youth soccer, field and practice-space constraints, and the club’s interest in expanded county athletic infrastructure.
Scott said the merged Saint Mary's Soccer (which combined with Northern Soccer League two years ago) serves about 2,600 participants across recreational, rec-plus and travel programs. She gave season averages: a “kitty cake” program for U-4 and U-5 with about 220 participants per season; recreational play from U-6 through U-19 averaging about 1,420 participants (roughly 115 teams); a rec-plus program of about 30 teams and 370 participants; and a travel division of about 440 players.
The club has placed teams into higher-level play. Scott said Saint Mary's teams now compete in the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and that several teams have moved into the EDP regional league; the club also applied for Super Y summer-league entries. She said EDP and Super Y bring travel from neighboring states and increased expectations for home game quality and training surfaces.
Scott told board members the county is near capacity for quality game fields. Travel and rec-plus games rely heavily on Chancellor's Run Regional Park and Chaptico Park; Hollywood Soccer Complex is heavily used for rec games and practices but lacks the grass coverage and irrigation the club needs for reliable travel-level play. Scott said high usage at Hollywood causes compaction and poor grass regrowth, leading to weather cancellations and maintenance challenges. She recommended water/irrigation and targeted lighting at key fields, and said permanent goals and concentrated use make recovery of heavily used areas difficult.
Scott also said the club relies on 44 different locations for practices in a typical season and that families prefer locations close to home, which limits consolidation options. The club is exploring relationships with St. Mary's College, high schools and nearby counties for turf or high-quality game sites. She warned that some older elite players already travel to Richmond, Annapolis and Columbia for year-round training and that improved local surfaces and a turf or indoor facility would help retain those players.
Board members thanked Scott and said the club and department will continue to coordinate as the Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan and CIP progress.
