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Voters Shoot Down Soccer Fields

By Maria Carter

Kansas City, MO – A plan to build youth soccer fields failed in Johnson County. KCUR's Maria Carter reports.

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The bond issue would have built 24 fields in south Overland Park. Supporters of the measure claim Johnson County needs more fields and the tournament quality fields would have attracted out of town tournaments. Wayne Flaughty heads Home Owners Against Soccer Welfare. He says the measure was about the Wizards, not about kids.

Flaughty: The people on the pro side had started out with a campaign of it's all about the kids and finally after a lot of pounding on our side they finally gave up that argument and acknowledged that it was really all about the Wizards and the complex and not about the kids.

The vote was only youth soccer fields, but they were included as part of a larger vision for the area that included a professional soccer stadium and shopping area.

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