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Search Terms: "Conservation and Reinvestment Act", House or Senate or Joint

Document 49 of 92.

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APRIL 20, 1999, TUESDAY

SECTION: IN THE NEWS

LENGTH: 2899 words

HEADLINE: PREPARED STATEMENT OF
HANK STEINBRECHER
SECRETARY GENERAL
UNITED STATES SOCCER
BEFORE THE SENATE ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
SUBJECT - CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 1999 (S. 25)
RESOURCES 2000 ACT (S. 446)
PUBLIC LAND AND RECREATION INVESTMENT ACT OF 1999 (S. 532)
ADMINISTRATION'S LANDS LEGACY INITIATIVE

BODY:

INTRODUCTION
Good morning, Mr. Chairman. My name is Hank Steinbrecher. I am the Secretary General of U.S. Soccer. I am here representing the U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. Soccer Foundation. I want to express my sincere appreciation to you, Ranking Member Bingaman, and the other members of the committee for giving me the opportunity to testify on this extremely important matter, which has the potential to dramatically affect the lives of our youth throughout the country.
BACKGROUND
As background, the United States Soccer Federation is the national governing body of soccer in the United States. In its 86-year history, U.S. Soccer has served as the host federation for World Cup USA 1994, the highest attended event in FIFA (the Federation Internationale de Football Association) history, and as the host for two highly successful Olympic soccer tournaments (1984 Los Angeles and 1996 Atlanta). In 1999, U.S. Soccer is extremely proud to host the FIFA Women's World Cup, destined to become the most successful women's sporting event ever.
Currently, more than 100 U.S. Soccer employees work to administer and service the membership located in all 50 states. U.S. Soccer is a non- profit, largely volunteer organization with much of its business administered by a national council of elected officials representing three administrative arms--more than 3,000,000 youth players, 19 years of age and under; more than 300,000 amateur players over the age of 19; and, the professional division (Major League Soccer) with teams in 12 cities across the nation.
In addition to developing the game at a grassroots level through the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association and the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, U.S. Soccer also manages nine full national teams. The national teams program has achieved tremendous success in recent years, highlighted by the Women's Olympic Team capturing the first-ever women's Olympic gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
U.S. Soccer's umbrella also covers the sport's coaching and referee divisions, which are among the most active and fastest growing in the world. Coaching schools are held regularly throughout the U.S. where participants can gain certification at six progressive levels. U. S. Soccer has more that 80,000 coaches, including almost 10,000 that are nationally licensed. The referee program makes up an integral part of the United States soccer scene, with more than 100,000 referees currently registered.
Finally, I am also very proud to add that U.S. Soccer "represents" those millions of soccer moms and dads throughout the country!
The U.S. Soccer Foundation, which is located in Washington, DC, is the bedrock of the game's development in the United States. The Foundation's mission is simple--to enhance the lives of children through the sport of soccer.
The vision of how to bring life to those words embraces several priorities-including programs which promote heath and physical fitness through soccer; supporting gender equity; encouraging participation by the economically disadvantaged and physically challenged; and, establishing soccer programs where none previously existed.
Through its first four years of granting money to deserving organizations, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has reached out to the entire soccer spectrum, giving generous support to such diverse activities as the 1999 Women's World Cup, as well as many small-town soccer programs that found themselves in need of field construction/renovation, uniforms, or startup dollars.
In concert with its mission, the Foundation has recently embarked on a challenging and ambitious field initiative. By far, the most pressing need facing soccer's growth in the United States is more playing space. Through a partnership of government and private enterprise, the Foundation has pledged to find ways of building at least 500 soccer fields nationwide in the next five years. This type of creative venture is illustrative of the Foundation's future plans, which also include a pilot program to establish after-school programs in 12 large urban communities over the next three years.
THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT MONEY FOR PARKS AND PLAYING FIELDS...
On behalf of U.S. Soccer, I am not here to support one particular bill. However, I am here to strongly urge you to find a compromise to these measures, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to pass a bill that includes full funding of the Land And Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)--especially the stateside component--as well as substantial funding for the Urban Parks Recreation and Recovery Program (UPARR). But, this is not just about money--this is about the quality of life for our youth in all areas of the country. Please let me put a "human face" on what I'm talking about.
The explosion of soccer participation in America, especially for youth, is well documented, and frankly there is no end in sight. Obviously, this means that there is, and will continue to be, a desperate need for more playing fields--at least for the next decade.
Over the past four years, the U.S. Soccer Foundation has received more than 1,000 formal grant applications to build soccer fields in urban, suburban, and rural areas--in almost every state of the nation. Further, we have good reason to believe that this represents only a small portion of the demand for fields. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming demand for funding to build fields, and the limited amount of available funds, the Soccer Foundation is only able to award grants to about 7 percent of the applicants.
Please allow me to give you several specific examples of the enormous demand for fields. In one suburban Maryland county, there are currently 25,000 girls and boys playing soccer, with only 74 fields to serve them. Last season 550 kids who wanted to play soccer were turned away by one league in this county, because there weren't enough fields. That number is expected to grow dramatically over the next several years, unless immediate steps are taken. In fact, it is expected that by 2005, there will be more than 40,000 kids playing soccer in just this one Maryland county. Municipal officials estimate that in the next two years, this one county will need 60-120 additional fields to meet the growing recreational needs.
But it's not just a suburban issue. The lack of playing fields in our urban communities is absolutely shameful. For example, in the City of Minneapolis, there is only one public soccer field in the entire city (with a second one under construction).

There are approximately 20,000 young girls and boys in Minneapolis, who either can't play soccer, due to the lack of playing fields in their neighborhood, or who need to be transported to the suburbs (where there are 341 fields) in order to play.
In one community in Florida, there is a waiting list of 1,000 children to play in the local youth league. In one upstate New York region, there are more than 80,000 players, with a very serious concern that, in the near future, players will be turned away in large numbers. In a University town in Iowa, there are more than 1,200 soccer players with no community soccer fields at all. I could spend the next several hours giving you examples of the desperate need for fields throughout the Country.
But, I would like take the remainder of my time to address what I believe is the real underlying need for these funds to build playing fields--which is the basic quality of life for our nation's youth.
THIS IS ABOUT THE HEALTH AND FITNESS OF OUR YOUTH
As you are aware, in 1996 the Surgeon General issued the first-ever Report On Physical Activity and Health. It concluded that we as a society are facing a growing public health epidemic---one that threatens the well being of future generations. The main message of the report is that Americans can substantially improve their health and quality of life by including moderate amounts of physical activity in their daily lives.
However, it found that more of our children were becoming overweight; that schools were cutting physical education classes; and that sports, fitness, and recreation facilities were disappearing. Further, it found that nearly half of American youth are not vigorously active on a regular basis, with inactivity more common among females; and that participation in all types of physical activity declines strikingly as age or grade in school increases.
As should be no shock to any of us, the report concluded that adolescents and young adults, both male and female, greatly benefit from physical activity. Studies show that of all physical sport activities, soccer has long been recognized as the most developmentally intensive for growing children and adolescent youth. In one comprehensive study, Dr. Max S. Chartrand found that "while learning sportsmanship, teamwork, winning strategies and valuable life skills, participants (in soccer programs) are also involved in a self- paced developmental program that enable them to overcome a multitude of cognitive, psychomotor and spatial limitation that otherwise could stay with them throughout life".
He further found that "soccer involves the primary skill elements of the other sports, while allowing self-paced development of each skill. Hence, the children who need it the most have opportunities without sacrificing the overall competitive qualities of the...team. Differences in skill levels between boys and girls are also minimized, allowing both to excel nearly equally at this sport...In short, soccer gives participating youth skills that will stay with them throughout life and make for more successful, well-grounded and responsible individuals in a challenging world."
Please let me be clear that I am not here to promote soccer over other sports. However, I am here to bring a voice to parents and communities whose hope is to raise healthy children. But, in order to take advantage of the benefits of physical activity--whether it be playing soccer or other sports, or merely taking advantage of open spaces and parks--we need many more parks and playing fields. That is why substantial funding for the stateside component of LWCF and UPARR are so critically important.
THIS IS ALSO ABOUT GENDER EQUITY
Soccer serves a unique role as the introductory sport for most children, especially girls consequently, we have made a very strong commitment to gender equity. With respect to girls, participating in sports like soccer offers a healthy way to deal with stress, gain status/acceptance with peers, make friends, control weight, rebel against social pressure to be perfect/nice, and promote self-esteem. By giving our daughters a chance to play sports, we give them the skill and tools for health and success.
In another comprehensive study, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) concluded that a physically active lifestyle rewards girls and women with more than the well-documented physical health benefits. It further concluded that "active living is an essential part of their social and emotional well-being .... These benefits, in turn, may also impact on self-confidence, peer status and career decisions--key factors in economic well-being...Physical activity...is essential to enhancing girl's and women's quality of life."
CAAWS found that "unfortunately, many girls and women encounter barriers to participation in physical activity...These include cost, a lack of opportunities and social support, physical education, recreation programs or organized sports that fail to meet their needs and a lack of resources dedicated to female participation...(Consequently), many young women drop out of physical activity in the preteen and adolescent years." CAAWS also found that these are the years that girls are most likely to take up smoking--and that young women who smoke and drop out of physical activity are more likely to have low social status, stressful living conditions, negative body images, and lower self-esteem than young women who choose to remain active and smoke free. CAAWS went on to conclude the "active collaboration among advocates for sport and active living, women's health, and tobacco control is so important".
As an aside, I must proudly point out to this committee how the soccer and public health communities have been collaborating to promote the health of children. U.S. Soccer and the Department Of Health And Human Services have embarked on a national campaign, "SmokeFree Kids and Soccer", aimed at preventing adolescent girls from smoking. This highly successful campaign not only communicates the negative effects of tobacco use on health and athletic performance, but also promotes participation in sports as a positive alternative to smoking. With the help of our U.S. Women's National Team, we have promoted participation in soccer as a healthy alternative to tobacco use.
However, we continue to need more playing fields in order to give these young girls the opportunity to participate in soccer and other sports!
THIS IS ALSO ABOUT MAKING AFTER-SCHOOL HOURS SAFE AND SMART FOR KIDS
A recent Department of Justice and Department of Education report found that there exists a chronic shortage of quality after-school programs--according to parents, the need far exceeds the current supply. The report focused on the benefits children receive in terms of increased safety, reduced risk-taking, and improved learning.
The report found that too many children do not have access to affordable, supervised and constructive activities during the hours after school. As Attorney General Janet Reno and Education Secretary Richard Riley stated "these children are at a higher risk for drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, delinquent behavior, violent victimization, and injury than their peers who are supervised after school...Statistics show that most juvenile crime is committed between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., with the largest number of offenses committed in the hours immediately following students' release from school...Our police chiefs...believe that an investment in after-school programming is the best deterrent against juvenile crime and victimization...Children need safe and engaging opportunities between the last school bell and the end of the work day."
That is why the U.S. Soccer Foundation has partnered with a group called America SCORES to pilot a unique after-school program in 12 large urban communities. This after-school program will be a recreationally linked education program that strives to enhance the quality of learning for elementary school-aged children. Urban youth will be given the opportunity to join a team with their classmates, and participate in soccer and creative writing activities during afterschool hours (year-round)--two days of soccer practice, two days of creative writing classes, and fifth day of a soccer game.
Our vision with this program is not merely to teach a sport or creative writing, but to systemically change the lives of youth by providing early opportunities for them to experience leadership, teamwork, and success. Teachers, administrators, and parents within the participating schools will run both the soccer and creative writing components of the program.
This is just one example of an after-school program that can greatly benefit our youth. As President Clinton recently stated, "we must make sure that every child has a safe and enriching place to go after school so that children can say no to drugs and alcohol and crime, and yes to reading, soccer, computers and a brighter future for themselves".
However, there is a chronic shortage of fields to support after-school programs like the one I just cited--and funds are desperately needed to build and renovate the necessary playing fields for these programs. Such programs can meet family needs for adult supervision during the critical after-school hours, and more importantly provide children with a safe, healthy environment that will help them develop academic and social skills.
CONCLUSION
Once again Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and the committee for giving me the opportunity to testify this morning.
In closing, I would like to respectfully urge you and the other Members of this Committee to lead the way in developing a broadly supported bipartisan bill that can be passed by both the House and Senate, and signed into law. It is absolutely critical that the measure includes full funding for the Land And Water Conservation Fund, as well as substantial funding for the Urban Parks program.
We want our children to grow up health, happy, and secure. We want them to say not to crime, drugs, and cigarettes--and say yes to academics, athletics, and recreational activities. However, Congress, communities, and parents must uphold our part of the bargain by providing and maintaining a sufficient number of safe and well- maintained playing fields and parks for them to play. But it costs money--and you have the opportunity and responsibility to provide those funds!
Therefore, for the health and fitness of our youth, for increased opportunities for our daughters, for the infrastructure for safe after-school programs, and in general for a better quality of life for our nation's youth--please make sure that a bill is passed with sufficient funds in the LWCF and UPARR.
Thank you.
END

LOAD-DATE: April 21, 1999

Document 49 of 92.


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