HICKORY, N.C. — With soccer momentum growing in the area, city and county leaders are seeing the economic potential.
- City has invested $700K in the new turf field at Henry Fork River Recreational Facility
- The park hosts two soccer tournaments a year that average around 5,000 people in attendance
- With the current grass fields, games could be postponed or even canceled due to rain
Hickory city leaders invested more than $700,000 on a new turf field for Henry Fork River Recreational Facility, which currently has eight soccer fields, but they're all Bermuda grass.
The Catawba Valley Youth Soccer Association holds two tournaments a year at the park, but when it rains the games are either postponed or canceled.
Director Jeff Schellenberger says those tournaments average around 5,000 people.
"A lot of times we have rain but then the sun will come out. Well the fields are too wet and we can't get on the fields, but now we'll be able to set up a schedule, a practice schedule, for teams to get on there or if it rains Friday night but the sun comes out Saturday, we'll be able to get our games in," said Schellenberger.
The city hopes to add more fields and more turf in the future.