Ground was officially broken Thursday for a new park that will soon be a home field for many Bronx athletes.

The park at the West Bronx Recreation Center will likely be finished by next spring. It will be complete with trees, shrubs, grass, bleachers and water fountains for its soccer and softball field.

New York City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the land for the park is part of more than two dozen acres the borough is owed from land lost to the new Yankee Stadium.

Councilwoman Helen Foster (D-Bronx) calls the stadium construction a ?huge inconvenience? to Bronx residents.

Benepe says he understands the inconvenience but disagrees with those who call the replacement parks a rip-off.

?People like to romanticize what was there before, but it was really not in good shape. We are creating these new parks with high-quality turf, turf that the professional sports teams are using. This is state of the art,? Benepe says.

Benepe calls the new park a nice addition to the neighborhood.