Walk into Kurt McAfee’s office and you’ll see a busy man. Gearing up for an athletic season is hectic in any year, but the added burden of creating both men’s and women’s soccer programs have caused a headache for McAfee that has made his summer extremely busy.
Perhaps the toughest problem encountered in developing this soccer program is the creation of a field. All of the coaches have been hired, most of the players have been recruited and the schedules are set and ready to go. However, with the start of the season rapidly approaching, McAfee still has a dirt field instead of a soccer pitch. Delays have come at every turn, with the latest one creating a problem that is much easier to fix now than it will be once the sod is down on the field.
“It’s been a mess, between the process of starting a new program and weather delays,” McAfee said. “The short answer is there’s a leak in the well, and it’s cheaper to tear it all apart now then later.”
The irrigation system for the field is important, and fixing anything wrong while it’s easy to access make the most sense, even if it puts them behind schedule.
“They’re supposed to be finished soon, they’ll pressure test the irrigation system and once that’s cleared, we’ll roll the sod out, hopefully on Tuesday,” he said. “That being said, it’ll probably be a good month before we actually get out and play on it or practice on it, because we want to make sure the root system has time to settle in.”
Giving the grass a chance to set up is necessary, but will cost the young soccer teams. Not being able to practice on the field will mean they’ll have to find somewhere else to practice, with options in Pratt being limited. In addition, Pratt has seven home matches slated for September, which McAfee is currently trying to rearrange. If the match is with a school where the contract is set up to play that team again in the season on their campus, McAfee is trying to switch them out. He is also looking at playing some matches on neutral sites nearby. McAfee said that many of these delays could not have been foreseen and that he was put in a tough spot with such little time to prepare a facility for the soccer teams.
“I’ve been criticized and I’m fine with it, but I don’t think it’s fair, because seven months – from the time I found out (about the addition of soccer), until now – is not enough time to build a soccer field,” he said. “So much of our time was lost because we figured we’d set it up in Lemon Park and that would be a no-brainer.”
The plan to set it up near Green Sports Complex also didn’t work out, as it is built on a floodplain. This left McAfee few options for a field location, meaning he had to look at starting from scratch on his own land.
“When it’s all said and done, it’s going to cost us about $100,000 on this deal,” he said. “But to start a program, build a field, wait on vendors and go through the bidding process takes time. I was hoping to be done with it July 1, but it looks like it’ll be August 1.”
Despite all of the troubles, McAfee has things rolling and will have things going for both soccer teams by the time the season starts.
In addition to soccer, the athletic director also has many other things on his plate. While the two new soccer coaches were his only hires of the offseason, he has been busy with some of his plans to create new revenue for the school and to upgrade the facilities.
He has been working toward restarting the Beaver Booster Club, which will help alleviate some of the financial burdens that below-average enrollment instills on the college.
“We’re looking at losing $500,000 in funding because our enrollment, which is good for us, isn’t keeping up with the average of the other JUCO’s in the state,” he said. “So it’s become very critical for us to raise some money to keep up with the Butler’s and the Cowley’s of the world.”
In addition, McAfee is looking at adding a Beaver Hall of Fame that would bring back some former athletes and show off some of the rich talent that has come through Pratt over the years.
“It would showcase our former players while providing the boosters a place to come at halftime and check the scores of the K-State and Kansas games while they grab some popcorn or a soda,” he said. “This will help us to be more in line with what you see across the state.”
McAfee was also excited for the upcoming season, mentioning that the women’s basketball recruiting class is one of the top JUCO classes and that the men’s basketball team has a commitment from a 6-foot 8-inch forward that he called a ‘diamond in the rough’.
McAfee is also planning a student-athlete orientation that will last three days at the beginning of the semester. This will help the athletes adjust to life in Pratt and give them directions on any and everything they will be doing while on campus. He said this will hopefully help retain students and provide a smoother transition.
“I’ve got a lot on my plate,” he said. “These are some things that we really need to get going with.”
