RALEIGH — CP&L owns 40 square miles of land near the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant. The power company has decided to give a small piece of that property to help local soccer players get their kicks.

The fastest growing sport in our area has no shortage of players, but a major shortage of fields.

In its upcoming season, the Capital Area Soccer League, known as CASL, will have 13,000 players, 800 teams, and just 65 fields to practice on; half of those fields are not regulation size.

"We have been in a crunch where we have had to fight desperately for fields and convert space that you normally wouldn't see used for fields," CASL President Bob Bode said.

CP&L plans to donate 130 acres of its land to CASL. The land is located on the outer edge of a 26,000 acre tract surrounding the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant.

"Our community needs more soccer fields," CP&L Corporate Communication Relation Manager Hilda Pinnix-Ragland said. "Its for our children and for our families."

CASL will also spend $1 million to build a 12-field training center on the land, which should be completed in two years.