The night was bright on Thursday at the Suffolk Youth Athletic Association soccer fields, as a scrimmage between two girls’ soccer teams was lightened up by a brand-new lighting setup.

SYAA began the project of lighting soccer field four back in early 2017. There are seven fields on that side of Kings Fork Road, and the difference made on field four compared to the other, darkened fields was like night and day.

“Most parents can’t come out here ‘til 6 after work, and the lights really help extend that,” said Director of Coaching Vito Basile. The plan is to incorporate more technical and goalkeeper training with the extra hours of activity, along with track coaching to help young athletes improve speed and agility.

The project utilized four 70-foot galvanized steel poles and 28 1,500-watt metal halide luminaries, according to an email from SYAA Communications Director Brett Carl. The project cost $160,260 and was fully funded with help from donations by individuals and organizations.

Representatives of those organizations were present at the opening remarks for the newly-lit field, including Billy Chorey with the Birdsong Trust and Suffolk Foundation Executive Director Win Winslow. Farmers Bank, the Beasley Foundation, Suffolk Rotary Club and Duke Automotive also contributed, along with several others.

“Everyone here participated to make that happen in one way or another,” Carl said.

SYAA is a non-profit organization with the sole purpose of conducting athletic programs for youth in Suffolk and the surrounding area. According to its website, SYAA serves more than 1,800 registered players who play sports year-round.

That requires more than 25,000 volunteer hours to manage these programs on a year-long basis. SYAA is run by volunteers as one of the largest privately-operated youth sports organizations in Virginia, according to the website.

“This is your organization, and it’s as good as you make it,” said SYAA Treasurer Geoff Payne.

Parents applauded and their girls huddled together in the cold for warmups while laughing and singing the Backstreet Boys.

According to Carl, the four poles are custom-designed to be able to support additional lighting. SYAA plans to raise an additional $84,000 to begin the second phase of lighting field five.

“We put in all the infrastructure to expand in increments,” he said.