PROCTORVILLE — Youth soccer teams will have a new home this fall after the Federal Aviation Administration warned almost a year ago about their using the Lawrence Airpark as their playing fields.

Starting the second week in August, the Eastern Lawrence Youth Soccer Association will use county-owned acreage near the Ohio University Southern-Proctorville Center for both practice and games.

“We are very excited about our partnership with OU-Proctorville,” Juli Stephens of the ELYSA, said. “The main reason we are going to be playing at OU-Proctorville is they are building new fields so we would be using those, a better situation than at the airport.”

In an Aug. 2, 2010, memorandum from Diane Morse, program manager for the FAA to the county commissioners, Morse said that the soccer practice field should not be on airport property.

“I understand that it was meant to be a temporary situation, however, due to the liability and the grant assurances (for airport improvements) signed by the county, the soccer field is prohibited,” the letter states.

The soccer association, open to players from 3-year-old to sixth grade, has used the airport for practice and games since the non-profit’s inception in 2006. Practice is every evening starting in August through the fall with games on Saturdays.

“(The FAA) didn’t feel it was allowable,” Commission President Les Boggs said. “As commissioners we looked at it. We feel it is a safety issue, but nonetheless, we are not an enforcement agency. They voluntarily decided not to use (the fields).”

The move was coordinated for the start of the ELYSA’s season this year.

The acreage that will be used by ELYSA around the Proctorville Center was given to the county by FEMA, Boggs said.

“You can build no permanent structure,” he said. “You can put things like soccer fields. I want to commend the soccer organization. They have been very good to work with. I felt we worked with the FAA and the soccer organization to resolve the issue.”