Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 21, 1992                   TAG: 9203210116
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: By JOE TENNIS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

SUPPORTERS KICKING IN MONEY FOR PROPOSED SOCCER COMPLEX

The Southwest Virginia Soccer Association and the New River Soccer Club have enlisted the support of the department for a complex on Virginia 114 near the Division of Motor Vehicles office.

"We have a site picked out. But nothing is finalized. The site is reasonably level. . . . It will accommodate what we're looking for," said John Pinkerton, a finance professor at Virginia Tech and president of the New River Soccer Club.

The soccer organizations want to build a complex with four playing fields, cross-country courses and picnic facilities. The project is expected to cost more than $500,000.

More than 600 youngsters - from kindergartners to high school seniors - are part of the Southwest Virginia Soccer Association's ranks during its fall and spring seasons. Games are held at various Montgomery County schools, including Margaret Beeks Elementary, Christiansburg Elementary and Christiansburg Middle.

The sheer number of players sometimes means there's not enough space to play simultaneous games at the same school's fields, said John Krallman, president of the Southwest Virginia Soccer Association.

"The key thing, I think, about this project is it's one of these win-win kind of things: It's good for the kids in the youth league . . . and good for the economy," Krallman said.

Summer sports tournaments could lure people to the valley, fill up hotel rooms and put a kick into the local economy, he added.

So far, about $60,000 has been pledged, with the Kiwanis Club of Blacksburg kicking in $30,000, the New River Soccer Club promising $10,000 and the Southwest Virginia Soccer Association pledging $20,000.

Pinkerton is hoping the county will donate $200,000, with the rest of the money coming from various matching grants.

"We hope to get a 100 percent grant for the road going in there, which is recreational access funds from the Virginia Department of Transportation," said Thomas Bain, director of parks and recreation.

The project's list of supporters include Park Realty, Draper Aden Associates, state Division of Conservation and Recreation, Virginia Department of Transportation, Tech's Community Assistance Design Center and Tech's department of urban affairs and planning.