Vandalism at Millbury soccer fields has parents, players heartbroken

MILLBURY, Mass. — A Millbury soccer field was torn up by a driver doing donuts on the field, leaving behind trenches and piles of dirt.

The damage is so extensive that kids most likely will not be able to play games at the field for the rest of the fall season, organizers of the Millbury Soccer Club said.

The Millbury Public School's girls' varsity and junior varsity teams, as well as the club teams, play at the field, which is behind Shaw Elementary.

"Once I saw it, I was shocked," said Matthew La Plante, Vice President of the Millbury Soccer Club. "I didn’t think it was going to be as bad as I saw. I figured maybe someone’s tires were just spinning on top, and then when I saw how dug in it was and everything, I just kind of moped back to my car and sat there staring for awhile."

Fixing the field, which belongs to the school, won't be quick or cheap, said La Plante, who has been coaching and mentoring young soccer players for years.

A practice was held on the field Monday, but it was limited to a small corner.

A girls' junior varsity game was relocated to a back-up field in town, where the boys play. It is a temporary solution, as both school and club officials scramble to find space for practices and games in town with hundreds of young soccer players and now only two full-size fields.

"Being in this town for 14 years and coaching for maybe seven or eight years, and seeing how much passion is a part of athletics in this town..." La Plante said, "it hits you real hard. I mean, my kids, this is the field they play on."

Twelve-year-old junior varsity player Emma Luby learned about the incident after lunch at school Monday. She told Boston 25 News she is disappointed that whoever is responsible chose their idea of fun over hundreds of kids'.

"Kids come out here to have fun and to make themselves happy, and you kind of just ruined their fun and happiness," Luby said.

Millbury police are investigating the crime. It is unclear if there is surveillance video on nearby cameras.

Kids and parents are pleading with anyone with has information about the crime to contact police, and they’re asking anyone with the means to fix the field to step up and help.

Cox Media Group