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Ogden soccer players soon will be running on state-of-the-art fields after a $1 million donation from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation.

The Ogden Community Soccer Complex — including scoreboards, bleachers, lighting and three artificial turf fields — will serve as home field for Ogden High School's soccer teams, as well as providing practice and competition space for other teams in Ogden and Weber County.

"The artificial turf will allow it to really stand up better to the heavy pressure and hopefully remain much more competitive," said Zach Williams, Ogden School District spokesman.

The complex will be built on school property just north of the district offices at 1950 Monroe Boulevard.

Construction of the $4 million soccer complex will start in December. The first field will open in the summer of 2015, Williams said.

Ogden High School currently holds its soccer matches at various Ogden City parks, particularly Mt. Ogden Park, which Williams said resulted in overcrowding and wear and tear on park facilities.

The district has raised roughly half of the complex's $4 million total cost.

The donation by the Eccles Foundation will be split evenly between the project's first and second phases to assist in fundraising efforts.

"We're pleased to partner with the Ogden community to help make the dream of this new outdoor soccer complex a reality," said Spencer Eccles, chairman and CEO of the Eccles Foundation, in a prepared statement. "What a fantastic asset it will be not only for our very own Ogden Tigers, but also for youth and families throughout the Ogden [area], providing them with opportunities to participate in healthy, outdoor activities for years to come."

Additional donors include the Gail Miller Family Foundation, the Beaver Creek Foundation and gifts from Weber County's RAMP Program and Safe Places to Play, a program run by the U.S. Soccer Foundation.