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Parks staff say new youth soccer organizer may use Veterans Park fields this fall
Summary
Parks staff reported progress toward a fall youth soccer program run by an outside organization that would use existing baseball fields at Veterans Park, serving roughly 3–10-year-old players and bringing 12–18 teams; staff said legal review is positive and the organizer will initially supply goals and field materials.
Parks staff told the Park and Recreation Advisory Committee on Jan. 27 that an established youth-soccer organization is negotiating to use the city’s Veterans Park baseball outfields for soccer this fall, and said legal staff has reviewed preliminary agreements positively.
“About a week and a half ago ... they have approximately 12 to 18 teams where they're operating right now, and they're running out of space,” Andrew, a parks staff member, told the committee, adding the organization expects to begin play in August and run through October if paperwork and legal steps are completed. Andrew said the group currently operates locally and anticipates serving La Verne families.
Staff described the target ages as roughly 3 to 10 years. Andrew said smaller, junior-sized fields and appropriately sized goals can be laid out in outfields so the city can host youth games without an existing full-size regulation soccer field. “They would have their own goals. And they would initially line out the fields themselves. Our staff ... would paint the fields weekly,” Andrew said.
Several committee members said they expect participation to grow quickly and asked about concessions, coaching and field wear. Parks staff said the organizer will provide on-site representatives to open and close facilities and that the group will not initially operate concession stands; staff said the organization’s representative would handle bathroom access and basic on-site coordination. Staff also acknowledged that the existing baseball/softball partnership did not renew its contract and that soccer is a lower-administrative-burden partnership because the organizer takes on much of the operational oversight.
Parks staff reported they have notified the city’s legal team and received positive initial feedback on proposed agreements. The committee had no final contract on the record at the Jan. 27 meeting; staff framed the plan as contingent on completing paperwork and the city’s legal review.
If the agreement proceeds, staff said they would dedicate fields, rotate usage to reduce wear, and revisit baseball/softball arrangements at a later date. Committee members encouraged staff to proceed and to communicate scheduling and volunteer/coach needs to the public when details are finalized.
