Louisville, KY -- The opportunity for millions of American children to participate in soccer and emulate the women's world champions may be undermined by the loss of soccer fields and other recreational open space in coming years, Congressman George Miller (D-7-CA) will tell 1,000 delegates to the national convention of the U.S. Soccer League in Louisville Friday evening.

"Soccer is one of the fastest growing sports in America, but I am sure you are hearing in your home communities the very same complaint I hear in my district in California: not enough fields, not enough maintenance, and the loss of recreation opportunities for our children," said Miller, senior Democrat on the House Resources Committee, in remarks prepared for delivery this evening.

Miller is urging delegates, including many from California, to demand that their legislators in Congress support his efforts to provide substantial and permanent funding to several programs that will expand local recreation and protect parks and other public lands throughout the country.

"This isn't about partisan politics; it's about using our heads, and using a tiny bit of the resources produced by the wealth of this country to help kids have safe places and programs to play," Miller said. "Researchers tell us that the most dangerous time of the day for children is after school, when kids can decide whether to engage in sports, in crime, in sex or in drugs. Congress is either going to face up to that urgent need or not, and you can help make the difference."

Miller said the "Resources 2000" bill he authored with Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and introduced on February 23, will provide $450 million in funding to states for local parks and recreation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and another $150 million for the Urban Parks Recreation and Recovery program (UPARR) that rehabilitates fields and other facilities. Under Miller's legislation, California would receive $40 million of the LWCF-stateside funds, and $10.2 million of the urban parks restoration funding.

"There are a couple of hundred applications from cities and towns waiting for the UPARR money, but over the last six years, Congress has not provided one red cent to the UPARR program, and California has lost over $630,000.

"We've built 7,000 soccer fields throughout this country with Land and Water Conservation Fund money, but Congress has refused to appropriate a penny for state-side grants. Resources 2000 and other bills under consideration would change that, would make the money available permanently, and would get these facilities built for our kids.

"But it won't happen unless parents, coaches, and even kids demand that their legislators allocate the money we promised for these purposes over 25 years ago," Miller said.

"Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans agree that our special places could be lost unless Congress takes action to save them. That's why Sporting Goods Manufacturers, the Police Activities Leagues, Major League Baseball and others want this legislation passed ... so that future generations have national parks to visit and great athletes like Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain to cheer for."

Miller's bill is currently the subject of bi-partisan negotiations with members of the House Resources Committee who are trying to develop consensus legislation to consider later this year. The Clinton Administration has strongly supported similar proposals in the Lands Legacy initiative announced in the State of the Union message in January.