Youth soccer fields in a Louisiana community were extensively damaged recently when vandals in vehicles tore them up, making the fields unsafe for players this season.
The nonprofit North Vermilion Youth Athletic Association in Vermilion Parish asked the community in a social media post Saturday to help identify the individuals who recently vandalized the fields.
"Someone drove into our back soccer fields and cut donuts on an ATV or SxS, and drove a truck through another field digging deep ruts," NVYAA said on its Facebook page. "There's no way we can have them repaired well enough to prevent injury to your soccer players, so now we are having to relocate playing areas for our 3v3 season to areas that were not previously prepped for play."
Picture posted to the Facebook page show tire grooves in the fields and circular ruts throughout the fields.
The NVYAA helps to provide affordable sports opportunities to children in the community, KTDY reported. Without outside funding, the organization relies on registration fees and fundraising efforts to maintain the park and its facilities. Any remaining funds are reinvested back into the park. For example, NVYAA said it recently repaired the parking lot to provide easier access for all visitors.
The vandalism hinders the NVYAA's ability to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for youth sports. Relocating the playing areas means extra work for the dedicated volunteers who maintain the park, and it could cause compromised game quality for the young athletes who look forward to playing each season.
By reaching out to the public, NVYAA is looking to gather any information that could assist in identifying those responsible for the damage.
"Help us hold the individuals that vandalized your children's play area accountable for their actions," NVYAA said.
