By Emily Randall
Northeast News
Oct. 27, 2010

With young soccer stars, parents, coaches and community leaders looking on, Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad presented a $25,000 check for improvements to Northeast’s Belvidere Park this past Wednesday.

The park, located at Independence Avenue and Paseo Boulevard, serves approximately 600 children through the Northeast Soccer League and other soccer teams. Conrad had proposed improvements to the fields as a project in the Pepsi Refresh grant competition between all 16 Major League Soccer clubs in September. With nearly 30,000 votes, Conrad was happy to announce Wednesday his project was the runner up in the contest.

“They’re going to be able to play a beautiful game on a beautiful field,” Conrad said. “It means a lot to me and is something I’m very proud of.”

Conrad mobilized the Northeast community to vote up to 25 times a day during September. Several of the young soccer players took the responsibility unto themselves to drum up support for their fields.

“I knew it was going to pay off,” said 12-year-old Lalo Moreno, who voted 25 times a day, every day, “because I told all my friends to vote, and I guess they listened.”

The grant will go toward resurfacing the fields, more seating and other improvements to the park.

“It’s important because the fields are messed up with dents and [rocks],” 13-year-old Miguel Sanchez said. “We were happy that the field is going to be fixed.”

Conrad, who was the 2009 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year, said this project was a good way for the Wizards to support their city as well as form Wizards fans for life in the young people and their families.

“I hope when we start redeveloping these fields, we start developing future Kansas City Wizards players,” he said. “This is definitely a hotbed for that.”

Belvidere Park has attracted much attention this year, as the FBI Citizens Academy, Don Bosco Centers, Kansas City Parks Department and Northeast Soccer League have been engaged there. In June the FBI Citizens Academy brought 250 volunteers to the park to clear brush, plant trees, install bleachers and line the fields. The Wizards conducted a youth soccer clinic for children at the field recently, as well. Conrad said he hopes to continue to be involved with the Northeast in the future.