The Friends of Coal Soccer Complex at Trace Fork was officially dedicated on March 25. The dedication drew a large crowd and the new turf field was named in honor of past-WVCA Chairman and Pritchard Mining President Andrew Jordon. A second field at the facility was named in honor of board member and Asset Management Principal Ralph Ballard. Both men had worked tirelessly, making significant donations of time, money and effort into making the fields a reality.
The facility cost an estimated $3.1 million with the Friends of Coal donating approximately $1 million to the effort through individual donations by Asset Management, Pritchard Mining, Walker Machinery, Rudd Equipment and Maxxum.
It has been announced that the facility will be home to all of the University of Charleston’s Women’s Soccer home games and practices. In addition, the field has already been used by an estimated 800 kids between mid-January to the end of February. Organizers say the facility is quickly getting booked up! For example the month of August already has nearly 2,300 kids registered to use the complex.
Turnout for the dedication was excellent, with several hundred in attendance.