2/16/11 - Two competing soccer clubs made their opinions known as the Hamburg Township Board divided its soccer fields between them at its regular meeting last night. The Pinckney Blues Soccer Club split from the Hamburg Community Soccer Club about 18 months ago and the organizers of the two groups have opposed one another ever since. At last night’s meeting, applications from both soccer clubs were presented to the board for approval. The board decided to compromise between the two by allocating most of the fields to the Hamburg Club, with others going to the Pinckney Blues. The decision was praised by some residents, who said it would give all Hamburg’s youth access to the fields. Others criticized the decision, saying that some players from the Pinckney Blues club weren’t residents of Hamburg and shouldn’t be given access to township assets. Community Recreational Services Organization Chairman Phil Semprevivo said that the arrangement was meant to encourage communication between the two groups and force them to cooperate. He adds that the majority of the players in both clubs are Hamburg residents. One parents spoke at the meeting to thank the board, saying he had one child in each club and wanted both of them to be able to play. (TD)