Agoura Hills : 5 Run-Down Soccer Fields Renovated

The popularity of soccer among youngsters never seems to wear out. But the playing fields do.

Fields at schools in the Las Virgenes Unified School District have been so heavily used over the years that five had to be renovated. The district held a special ceremony Saturday at Willow Elementary School in Agoura Hills, where two fields were upgraded.

The $16,000 tab for renovation of the five fields was picked up by the local branch of the American Youth Soccer Organization. “AYSO’s commitment to area youngsters should serve as a model to other organizations,” said John Fitzpatrick, the school district’s superintendent.

AYSO was founded 30 years ago in Torrance to promote youth soccer, said Bill Sturdy, director of fields for the organization’s local chapter. The sport, he said, is growing in popularity in the Las Virgenes district.

“We’re at an all-time record high,” he said. “We had 1,989 kids for the 1994 season, and we have 2,491 this year.”

Sturdy said the renovation project was organized with assistance from Donald Zimring, the district’s superintendent of business, and his staff.

“We made arrangements with local vendors to repair the fields,” Sturdy said, “and through negotiations, we got the best price.”