Volleyball and soccer players advocate to keep the National Mall open for sports

Local recreational sports fans met with Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton yesterday to give their feedback on a draft National Park Service proposal that could possibly make it harder to play organized sports on the mall.

Greater Greater Washington reported on the meeting, which came about after an outcry over the fact that NPS plans to take over the reservations process for 24 softball and multi-use fields near the Mall from the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. Sports fans worried that this could result in higher fees and bans on organized sports (NPS has put a lot of effort into the National Mall’s grass). Numbers floated in the proposal included $70 for a two-hour block or $30 for one hour plus a $10 admin fee. Norton committed to more meetings on the matter.

• Keep the Mall open for sports, residents tell NPS [Greater Greater Washington]
• Proposal could add permits or even ban sports teams on National Mall fields [Fox 5]