Recreation staff told the City of Escalon Recreation Commission on Aug. 6 that this year’s soccer program has grown to 915 children across 99 teams, exceeding the field capacity at Hogan Park and prompting use of an alternate site for some games and practices.

“We have 915 kids in the soccer program. We have 99 teams,” a recreation staff member said during the meeting and explained the city had to move some play to Brentwood after the school district declined use of high‑school fields and El Portel was unavailable for rental.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said the city’s top operating principle is that “no kid gets left out.” That objective, plus rising enrollment, has strained existing fields and forced short‑term operational choices that could affect families’ travel and scheduling.

What staff told commissioners
- Capacity and site choices: staff said Hogan Park is outgrown and the department selected Brentwood as a secondary site this season. The city attempted to rent the high‑school fields but was denied by the school district; El Portel also could not be rented.
- Residency, capping and options: staff reported that approximately 20% of registrants live outside city limits (based on address data), and commissioners discussed possible cap models such as residency preference or age‑based limits. Staff noted the registration system does not collect school enrollment so verifying school district attendance would add an administrative step.
- Family impact and process: staff warned that splitting fields can separate siblings or produce scheduling conflicts for families. Commissioners and community members urged flexibility (using additional parks if coaches are available) while city staff said they would collect feedback to inform next season.

Quotes and attributions
- “Our number 1 tenant that we have been operating under is no kid gets left out,” — recreation staff member.
- “If there’s coaches, parents that are willing to volunteer and play, let them play,” — community member and volunteer coach Justin Borges.

Decisions and next steps
No formal cap or residency policy was adopted at the Aug. 6 meeting. Staff said they will collect feedback over the season and prepare options for the commission and council, and they will monitor registrations and team sizes to limit per‑team rosters where necessary.

Ending
Staff and commissioners said they will revisit capping, residency verification and field investments before next season; immediate short‑term responses this season included distributing teams across additional fields and monitoring registrations.