East Point youth soccer program moves practices after losing access to field

A group of East Point children have a new place to play soccer after parents said the team was forced off its former field in the middle of the season.

"I think the thing that kind of bugs us is that it happened in the middle of a season," parent Abe Okie said. "If you don't want to renew the contract, that's fine. You have that right. Absolutely. But the kids got booted midway through the season."

Soccer in the Streets, an Atlanta nonprofit that has offered youth soccer programs since 1989, moved its East Point practices to Sumner Park on Neely Avenue on Monday. The city offered the park for the remainder of the fall season, according to a message the program sent to families Friday.

Parents told CBS News Atlanta that the program lost access to its former field in downtown East Point, next to Oz Pizza, because of concerns involving parking and cleanup after practices and an inability to secure an agreement for the space.

Parents disputed the cleanup concerns.

"Let me be clear. Pizza has never once picked up that area in the time that I've been there in the last two years," parent Gabi Mooney said. "In fact, there has been multiple things that have been broken in that alleyway that we have talked to, the wires. We've picked up trash as parents. So, I don't find that to be true at all."

Mooney said practices end around 7:15 p.m., before the restaurant's dinner rush. Okie said he understands the parking concerns and believes recent street construction may have made the situation worse.

CBS News Atlanta visited Oz Pizza on two consecutive days to request an interview or comment. As of Monday night, no one from the restaurant had responded.

Parents said the former field was near the East Point MARTA station, while Sumner Park is not. Through its StationSoccer initiative, Soccer in the Streets builds fields near MARTA stations so children can get to practices without a car, according to the organization's website.

"One of the things that Soccer in the Streets tries to do is have fields close to MARTA stations, so it's accessible to everybody," Okie said. "And obviously this is not that. It's not next to a station anymore."

Mooney said the move will be especially difficult for families without a car.

"It's been a lot of change for all the families and especially for families that don't have the privilege of having a car," Mooney said.

Some players said they like the larger field.

"Better. It's better," said 6-year-old William Fuller, who plays in the program.

Soccer in the Streets told families that practice times at Sumner Park will change because of shorter daylight hours. The program's PlayMetrics app has the updated schedule.

The organization also said it remains in talks with its partners about where East Point players will practice during future seasons.

"Our kids really deserve a permanent, nice location for their practices and games," Mooney said.