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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate NEWS NOW Police reports ... Frosty morning headed to Jackson County Friday ... Our View: SOU sets new timeline in president search ... Police reports ... Frosty morning headed to Jackson County Friday ... Our View: SOU sets new timeline in president search ... GUEST OPINION Guest Opinion: Build Phillips Field for both sports Comment By Bryan Sohl DailyTidings.com By Bryan Sohl Posted Jul. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Bryan Sohl Posted Jul. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News I am hoping the Ashland School Board and Ashland Schools Superintendent Jay Hummel can do the right thing, and support a mixed usage of both football and soccer, including use by both boys and girls soccer teams, at Phillips Field at Ashland High School with adequately sized fields for both football and soccer. Current proposals put forward are for inadequately sized soccer fields of 55-60 yards in width. The National Federation of State High School Associations' recommended width for a soccer field is 65 yards, with a 70-yard width even better. A football field is 53 and one-third yards wide. To have an adequately sized soccer field will require the removal of the visiting bleachers and their support structures on the south side of the field adjacent to Mountain Avenue. Imagine a proposal that had the length of the football field at 90 yards! It is imperative that the board and superintendent do the right thing for the most kids. The combined boys and girls soccer programs at AHS currently have more kids involved than the boys football teams. Soccer kids should have the same opportunity for the “Friday Night Lights” experience (even if it is not on Friday) as do the football players. Who wouldn’t rather play a night game on a lighted Phillips Field, at the high school, in front of full stands, as opposed to an afternoon game on a dry or muddy, uneven, bumpy and potentially dangerous surface that is the current status of the Ashland Middle School soccer field where the boys have played for many years. Current plans are for the boys and girls soccer teams to alternate years between the Middle School and North Mountain Park fields. We should prioritize our kids, and their friends and parents, over the visiting team fans having their own side. At the AHS basketball games the visiting fans sit on the same side as the home fans and it works out fine. With declining AHS enrollment and changes in league structures with loss of natural rivals such as the Medford, Grants Pass and Roseburg teams, the days of standing room only at the football games, a common occurrence in the late '80s and '90s, are over. In an article published in the Wall Street Journal, participation in football in U.S. high schools was down 2.3 percent in the 2012-13 season from the 2008-09 season, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (parent’s concerns over the risk of head injury was cited as a main contributing factor), whereas the high school federation reports that soccer participation was up 7.4 percent nationally in the 2012-13 season from 2008-09. Let’s do the best thing for the most kids, and plan for a Phillips Field that has a playing surface that is up to national standards for both football and soccer, and is a field where both boy and girl athletes can play before home fans. I would also like to give a shout out to AHS grad Jeremy Guthrie and others who have graciously donated to the Phillips Field remodel effort. Go Grizzlies. Bryan Sohl is an Ashland resident and the father on two former AHS soccer players, and continues to be a fervent supporter of all things Grizzly. By Bryan Sohl DailyTidings.com By Bryan Sohl Posted Jul. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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