Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2005 by Kristen Milton Staff Writer

[This prototype advertisement for the new Soccer Association of Montgomery was included in a Maryland Soccer Foundation mailing to existing soccer clubs.]

In addition, a county councilman said he expects to be considering a public subsidy for the SoccerPlex by December.

In two separate letters to the president of the Maryland Soccer Foundation, which operates the SoccerPlex, Hendricks and Discovery each announced $50,000 gifts to the group. That money comes on the heels of a $6 million gift from the Hendricks foundation and family announced Oct. 28.

According to the letter, the new money will be disbursed as $10,000 grants that will be applied to the spring 2006 seasons of those clubs that sign. Part of the $6 million is also earmarked for subsidizing clubs’ field fees during the next five years.

The new gift is intended to jump-start fall fund-raising efforts on the part of the individual clubs paying fees to play at the SoccerPlex that have reached $320 per game, Hendricks said in a phone interview Monday. The clubs should now begin their own campaigns, he said.

‘‘It is so that the clubs don’t have to raise any money for the spring and can concentrate on [next] fall,” he said.

With a five-year contract and participation in the subsidy program, a soccer club could see per-game rates drop to $137, which Hendricks said was comparable to the national average of about $150 for similar-quality fields. The rate will continue if $10,000 is raised annually by club parents or other sources.

‘‘Every club will have some affluent parents involved who will want to participate,” Hendricks said. ‘‘In fairness this [gift] should meet the clubs’ needs because that was their valid point.”

While revealed to the foundation board, public announcement of the $10,000 incentive grants was embargoed until today, preventing The Gazette from seeking comment from club leaderss.

The SoccerPlex, located at the South Germantown Recreational Park in Boyds, has struggled financially since opening its 19 premiere fields five years ago. Its financial viability was thrown into the spotlight this summer as six of the county’s eight soccer clubs initially refused to sign contracts there for the fall season, citing high game fees among other concerns. They eventually played partial seasons there, but no agreements have been reached for spring.

The clubs could see rates drop further if the county provides matching grants. County Councilman Steve Silverman (D-At large) of Silver Spring said he would support such funding for the next year while other possible measures – such as lease amendments allowing additional games – or other revenue sources take affect.

‘‘I think its appropriate in the short term for the county to be supporting Montgomery County kids on SoccerPlex fields as we support Montgomery County kids on other fields,” said Silverman, who said those children were subsidized by the county’s low permit fees.

While no measure has yet been introduced, Silverman said he expected negotiations between the foundation and holdout clubs would result in a request to the county that would include the matching grant by early December.

In addition to the club subsidy fund, the earlier $6 million gift from Hendricks included amounts earmarked for building five additional fields, creating a scholarship program and establishing a new recreational and classic soccer league called Soccer Association of Montgomery (SAM).

Hendricks said the five new fields should be online in about 18 months and yield an additional $40,000 a year in income for the foundation. The new league is expected to be operational by the spring season.

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