Young athletes in the area will soon have more fields to play on. Wilmington city council members unanimously approved a 65-acre donation from the Hammerheads Youth Football Club organization. The ten-million-dollar project will expand the Cape Fear Soccerplex.
There are currently seven fields. City officials committed to building an additional five to seven new fields after voters approved a Parks Bond in 2016. Community Services Director Amy Beatty says the project is important for the community -- in terms of extra space, but also economic growth.
“We have a deficit of field space. We have more demand than this current supply provides… so the goal of the project is additional field space for local kids to have enough room to practice and participate in leagues, but also to attract bigger tournaments to the area.”
Under the agreement, the city will pay the Cape Fear Soccer Association nearly a quarter million dollars a year to handle the day-to-day operations of the facility.