POLSON – It was a large gift from the estate of Mildred Weber Hansen that enabled Polson Youth Soccer to take the giant step of buying and developing new property.

Last spring the sports organization bought 20 acres of property adjacent and north of the Mission Valley Aquatics Center. Next spring, developers hope to seed and grow up their new fields.

“We will develop a sports complex,” said Sarah Beck Smith, Polson Youth Soccer fundraising committee co-chair. “Our goal is to use at least part of those fields to play in the fall of 2015.”

Beck Smith said the group plans to have a facility that will attract traveling and school soccer teams for tournaments.

“The old soccer fields (on Kerr Dam Road) need to be replaced. And having attractive fields will encourage others to come to Polson and play. While they are playing they can shop and eat in Polson and use our amenities, all while having fun.”

The new sports complex will have four regulation-sized soccer fields that can be split in half to provide eight fields for kids under eight years old. Traveling, regional and school teams can all use the fields for various tournaments.

Rotary money is intended for the construction of concession stands and restroom buildings, Beck Smith said.

Organizers are in the bid process for clean up and grading of the property, something they hope to have done before winter prevents their progress.

Polson Youth Soccer is about to begin its fall 2014 season and the last opportunity for players to sign up will be from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 4 at Linderman Elementary School. Practice begins the week of Sept. 8, and this year’s first youth soccer games begin Sept. 14.

Youth soccer games are held on Sundays. A boys’ under 13-and-14 traveling program is also underway.

Last year’s under 14 boys traveling team won the Montana State Championship. The Polson Youth Soccer program is a feeder for local high school sports.