Turf Soccer Fields Debut At Kohler Park In Horsham

HORSHAM TOWNSHIP, PA —It's a perfect Wednesday evening. The temperature is cool with a slight breeze and the skies are relatively clear, give or take a cloud or two.

Jennifer McGary of Northampton Township arrives at Kohler Park to cheer her daughter on as she often does throughout a 16-game soccer season.

She's been to this park every year. But something is different about the field this time around.

"I noticed the turf when I walked up," the Holland resident said. "It's beautiful. There are only a couple of fields that she plays on that have turf."

McGary is among the first of the soccer moms and dads and family and friends to see the debut of the new turf fields at the Kohler Park Soccer Complex on 1100 Limekiln Pike.

Last Wednesday, the local soccer community gathered for a "soft opening" of the new main turf field in which the Horsham Sparks squared off against Warminster, the team that includes McGary's daughter.

"I like it," said Anton Kuhner, the coach of the Horsham team, adding that the Sparks tested out the field at practice the week before.

After construction began in May, the turf was installed in mid-July on the main field and a secondary field just off the hill where another group of younger soccer players is conducting practice and getting a feel for the field.

For more than a decade, the Horsham Soccer Association talked about replacing the grass fields at Kohler Park. They watched the fields flood and they went through numerous cancellations of youth soccer games.

In mid-April, the Horsham Soccer Association held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project.

The ceremony included the Horsham Township Council, Township Manager Bill Walker, state Sen. Maria Collett, state Rep. Melissa Cerrato, and former state Rep. Todd Stephens, among other dignitaries and guests.

The organization began fundraising more than a year ago and secured three state grants to cover 90 percent of the $1 million cost.

Soccer association officials said a more formal celebration with elected officials and sponsors will be held at a later date as additional work needs to be done.

(Photos by Dino Ciliberti/Patch) Crowds gathered to watch the Horsham Sparks play on the new turf field last week at Kohler Park in Horsham Township.

A secondary soccer field also had turf installed in mid-July.