At the Sept. 26 Stockton City Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Brad Evans, recreation supervisor, told commissioners the Sports and Fields division is operating with three current vacancies and had made tentative offers to fill key positions.

“By the end of October, we hopefully will have our staff fully in place,” Evans said, describing tentative offers for a recreation-assistant role and for a senior recreation assistant responsible for field maintenance.

The staffing shortfall has affected league sizes and the number of teams that register. Evans said the division runs nine youth sports seasons (including a Start Smart program for ages 3–5), leagues for first through eighth grades, and expanded teen programming for ages 14–18. He said paid programs charge $49.50 per individual and $286.50 per team; two programs are free each year (tennis and the Junior Giants program).

The department reported participation details for 2022–23: the Junior Giants program served 710 participants at multiple community centers and Lewis Park for closing ceremonies; tennis reached 28 participants last year; early-spring outdoor soccer had 13 teams; fall volleyball had 18 teams (about half from schools); winter basketball had 30 teams (12 school teams); and summer basketball had about 20 teams.

Evans and staff described efforts to recruit volunteers and employees, saying volunteer coaches are essential for forming teams and that some volunteers now coach multiple teams. The department is working with Stockton Unified School District athletic staff, work-experience programs, Delta College and University of the Pacific to recruit coaches, interns and seasonal staff. Evans said the department provides coaches’ trainings, uses online instructional videos in training, and offers a 25% registration discount for families who qualify; the three-to-five program is already at a reduced rate.

“We were only — typically, in a typical year for Junior Giants — over a thousand participants,” Evans said, adding that this year numbers were limited to about 700 because of volunteer shortages.

Evans described the division’s camp and clinic offerings and fees: weeklong summer sports camps are four-day programs (Monday–Thursday) with a $41.75 fee and a camp T-shirt. He said winter and spring camps and skill clinics have returned to near capacity, and the department is expanding teen and adaptive offerings, including exploratory plans for wheelchair basketball and a Recreation for All program.

On facilities and field access, Evans reviewed the division’s field-allocation process: short rentals (four days or less) can be reserved through community centers or online; organizations using facilities more than five times are handled under a separate process with 30-day advance applications. He described the Stockton Soccer Complex’s layout, noting six full-size fields plus six smaller fields at the south end, and said the complex will be fully lit next year as new lighting standards have been installed and will allow more evening scheduling.

Commissioners asked about typical ages and schedule windows for programs, scholarship availability and how to recruit volunteers. Evans said some preschool sessions run evenings (6–7:30 p.m.) or Saturday mornings, most elementary leagues run on weekends, and middle-school schedules can include weeknight games. He urged commissioners and community members to assist with outreach to schools, coaches and students eligible for work-experience hours.

What it means: The division attributes lower team counts to reduced school-team participation and fewer volunteer coaches after the pandemic. Department leaders say hiring pending candidates and stepped-up volunteer recruitment and school partnerships are the immediate remedies.

Evans recommended citywide outreach and asked commissioners to promote volunteer and employment opportunities to school and college contacts.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article are limited to the commission meeting record and include Brad Evans, recreation supervisor; Joseph Aymond, recreation program coordinator; and named staff who were cited by Evans: George Maria (senior recreation assistant), Jose Nava (recreation assistant) and Josh Morales (recreation assistant — field maintenance).