With an estimated three-day attendance of between 9,000 and 10,000 the recently-completed ShindigZ National Soccer Festival was once again a huge hit.

What took a bigger hit, though, was the Hefner Soccer Fields.

Thirteen college games were played over three days on Fields 1 and 2. By the time IPFW played Notre Dame on a blistering hot Sunday afternoon, Field 1 was essentially a dustbowl, and Field 2 wasn't much better.

So here's the rub: While the festival rents the fields from IPFW, Field 1 is, indeed, the home field for the Mastodons, who will have to play the rest of the soccer season on a pitch that not only is bare in spots, but also appears to have some type of disease.

Poor fields lead to poor footing which leads to injury, and so you have to wonder if the festival was worth it as far as IPFW players are concerned.

Festival organizers are already planning on another one next season. Having it at Hefner is not a done deal, at least not yet.