Leveling the Playing Field

Technician restores Lansing-area soccer fields, helps families in need join the game

Chad Stevenson remembers what the soccer field at Old Everett Park in Lansing was like a little over a year ago.

It wasn’t level, and undulations and barren spots made it hazardous for young athletes racing down the field.

Stevenson, the Lansing Soccer Club’s equipment and field operations manager and technician at the Michigan Department of Corrections’ Electronic Monitoring Center, put his children in the soccer program three years ago.

Since then, he has become a board member and recently took on the project of renovating the Old Everett field.

He wanted the club to be able to take pride in their home field, so he and the club’s other leaders hoped to make changes.

Stevenson sought out the expertise of Michigan State University’s Turf grass Management Program in renovating the field. Together, with the city of Lansing Parks and Recreation Department and the Neighborhood Resource Team, they set in motion a plan to launch the project.

The club was able to secure a $5,000, Love Your Block Grant, dedicated to improving area parks, to help complete work on the field. This included levelling the ground, re-seeding grass, planting flowers and repairing and equipment shed.

“We basically started from scratch,” Stevenson said. “The ultimate goal was to provide a safe place, for kids of all ages, to play. This field now provides that.”

Seeing the renovation project come to fruition, has been a rewarding process, he said. In addition to the city and Neighborhood Resource Team students from MSU, parents and community volunteers put together a coordinated effort to do the work.

The club also recently received a $1,250 block grant to renovate another smaller Lansing-area field.

“Soccer is such a growing sport,” Stevenson said. “There are kids out there playing all the time. For them to have a good, safe and enjoyable place to play is really the mission. It is an investment for us, for the soccer club’s future and for the city of Lansing’s future.”

The club also helps give 120 to 130 low-income families and at-risk youths an opportunity to play soccer by making sure children have rides to practice and games and by using donations to help provide uniforms and equipment. All of this is done with volunteers.

“We make it accessible for everyone,” Stevenson said. “We don’t turn anyone away.”

MI Dept. of Corrections

Written by

The Michigan Department of Corrections provides the greatest amount of public protection while making the most efficient use of the State's resources.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade