Council reviews youth soccer agreement and use policy for Brown Multisports Complex

Goldsboro city staff and council discussed changes to user agreements at the Brown Multisports Complex Dec. 16, telling council that the existing youth-soccer agreement (set to expire Dec. 31) used volunteer-service credits in place of a per-player fee and that staff recommends moving to a small per-player fee for future agreements.

Parks and Recreation Director Felicia Brown briefed council on the complex's history: when the multi-sport park opened in 2018 several semi-professional and youth clubs asked to use the fields; the city accepted a mix of uses and negotiated exchange arrangements to help staff tournament needs. The current agreement with Wayne County United Youth Soccer Club substitutes recorded volunteer hours for a $1-per-player charge that had been in the original paperwork.

Brown told council that staffing levels have stabilized and the department can handle tournaments, so the parks department wants to switch to charging a modest fee rather than tracking volunteer-hours credits. She said the club would still get a favorable rate compared with standard field rental. Brown also described constraints that affect scheduling: the complex has eight rectangular fields but only three are lighted, and the U.S. Air Force (Seymour Johnson) and other tournament organizers sometimes take priority for weekend scheduling.

Why this matters: The complex is now driving travel-tourism events that bring hotel nights and visiting teams to Goldsboro. Staff said weekend travel tournaments (including recent college showcase events) draw teams from outside North Carolina and produce measurable economic activity, so council's decision on fees and scheduling affects both recreation access and tourism revenue.

Economic impact and scheduling: City staff said the complex hosted regional college showcase tournaments in consecutive weekends, including teams from New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and beyond. Council members and staff described the facility as a "spillover" host for large regional tournaments and noted the tradeoffs between community recreation programs and tournament rental demand.

Next steps: Staff will prepare a draft new agreement for council review in early January. The new agreement is expected to remove the volunteer-hours exchange and replace it with a modest per-player practice/game fee; staff said they would provide the draft well before the Jan. meeting so council members have time to review.

Ending: Council members generally expressed support for a fee that preserves youth access while recognizing the complex's tourism role. Council asked staff to distribute a draft agreement in time for January action and to ensure consistent communication with clubs and the Parks & Recreation Commission.