"This is a passive park," said Robertson. "Why should I stop playing Frisbee here?"

Robertson says that when her children were younger, they even flew kites at the park. She believes that putting in more soccer fields goes against the city's emphasis on preserving its rural character.

"We did not move here for the soccer. We moved to Saratoga for the schools," she says.

There are many like Robertson on Sculley Avenue and other neighboring streets. They call themselves the Friends of Kevin Moran Park.

Over the last year, they have made their displeasure known to the Saratoga City Council.

Much of their ire is targeted against the local chapter of the American Youth Soccer Organization, an organization that claims to represent nearly 1,200 Saratoga children who play soccer.

Last year, the Saratoga Chapter of the AYSO won the award for the best region in the United States.

Howard Miller, regional commissioner for AYSO, says that all he wants is some more practice area at Kevin Moran Park.

Currently, the park is used Monday through Friday afternoons for soccer practice during the fall and spring. Miller says that expanding the flat grass at the park will enable the under-14 soccer players to play there.

Miller doesn't take his responsibilities lightly. He uses spreadsheets and graphs to explain the need for more soccer areas in the city. Over the years, his quest for flat grass has taken him to local schools and churches.

There are two city parks that AYSO currently uses for soccer--Congress Springs and Kevin Moran.

Blue Hills Elementary School, Argonaut Elementary School, Foothill Elementary School, Saratoga Elementary School, Marshall Lane School and Christa McAuliffe School in West San Jose are also used by Saratoga AYSO for soccer, along with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Allendale Avenue and an old archery field at West Valley College.

Most of these soccer fields are used every weekday afternoon during the spring and fall seasons. Miller says it's not enough.

"We've had to cut down on soccer practice times because of the lack of flat grass," he says.

"Practice fields have always been a strain in Saratoga," says Manny Cappello, head league commissioner for the AYSO as well as a planning commissioner for the city.

Cappello said that through the years, the organization has invested money in local schools and churches so that children and teenagers in the area could have more opportunities for soccer practice.

El Quito Park, another city-owned facility, is also used for soccer, but by the California Youth Soccer Association.

"We have between 325 and 350 kids from Saratoga who play in our league," Laura Watkins, the CYSA's league registrar for the area, says.

The CYSA uses El Quito Park from August to July every year. Watkins says demand for soccer opportunities in Saratoga is so high that CYSA does not advertise its registration dates any more.

"We're in the middle of discussions with West Valley College so that we have some more fields," Watkins said.

Councilman Nick Streit is familiar with the needs of the local soccer community. He has long been a proponent of more flat grass opportunities in the city.

Streit has often found himself the target of Kevin Moran Park neighbors at city council meetings. Subtle and not-so-subtle barbs are aimed at him every time the issue of Kevin Moran Park comes up for discussion.

Streit is sticking to his ground.

"Clearly there is a need for more flat grass in the city. We've got to plan for the future," says Streit.

He cites the city of Cupertino, which has maximized potential by developing and maintaining all flat grass areas in the city's schools.

"The demographic of the area is changing. There is a need for flat grass areas for lacrosse and cricket," he says.

Lacrosse, a sport largely confined to the East Coast for many decades, has enjoyed a sudden boost in popularity in recent years in California.

The West Valley Lacrosse Club, which draws children from the Los Gatos and Saratoga areas, is two years old.

The club currently uses facilities at Argonaut Elementary School and Redwood Middle School in Saratoga. "I could do with one more field. We turned away a lot of kids who wanted to play this year," A.J. O'Brien, the club's president, says.

With the growth of the East Indian population in the area, there is also a need for cricket fields. "There are more and more people who want to play cricket," says Surajit Sengupta, who has put together a cricket team for adults in the West Valley area.

"We play in San Jose now but a majority of our players are from Saratoga. I aim to continue my dialogue with Saratoga so that we get something in the future," he says.

John Cherbone, the city's public works director, is the person most often approached by the organized sports bodies when they are looking for more space.

"The cricket team approached me some time ago but I had to say no. We just don't have any more space," he says. "There are not a lot of areas we can look at either." Cherbone has also received requests from a few adult soccer teams in the area.

Ever since Kevin Moran Park became a hot-button issue, the city has looked at ways of maximizing flat grass opportunities in the city.

"We've talked to the Cupertino and Campbell school districts. I know that city staff has even talked to the Walden West Outdoor School," Mayor Kathleen King says. "The best solution is working with the schools to get the most efficient use of their fields."

City staff will present a report to the city council next month on the flat grass opportunities in the city.

Sandy Cross, a Kevin Moran Park neighbor, doesn't want her beloved neighborhood park on the list.

"This is the last park with open fields. Once AYSO starts playing here, they won't share it with anyone. They'll end up owning it," she says.

Cross says that the city does not have any more space to accommodate organized sports.

"I wish the founding fathers had more foresight when they planned the city," Cross says. "If you're going to use a park for sports seven days a week, how is the neighborhood ever going to use it?"

Miller says that the whole issue has become a mudslinging contest.

"There are all kinds of stories doing the rounds. One of my friends was told by a Realtor that a soccer complex, complete with bleachers and lights, has been planned at the park," he says. "I will talk to anybody who is willing to listen."

Mark Linsky, another AYSO representative for the area, says that the issue is less about soccer and more about child development. "There is nothing better than team-oriented activity," he says. "There are certain advantages and disadvantages of living near a park. I do not think there will be a problem if the fields are used conservatively."

Robertson doesn't believe the AYSO.

"I know how this group works," she says.

She fears that the group is starting with an initial demand for more practice area and will make more demands further down the road.

Robertson has a simple answer for them.

"At some point we're going to have to say no," she says.