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Minnetonka Football Association asks Shorewood to consider field expansion and an indoor dome to meet youth demand
Summary
Tony Wixo of the Minnetonka Football Association told the Shorewood Park Commission that the association serves roughly 675 athletes (about 900 including high school) and seeks a partnership with the City for additional turf or a dome to address space constraints; commissioners discussed potential park locations and scheduling overlaps with soccer.
Tony Wixo, co‑director of the Minnetonka Football Association (TFA), told the Shorewood Park Commission on March 25 that the association needs more practice and game space from Shorewood to accommodate growth in youth football.
“We are a non‑profit with around 675 athletes from 2nd grade to 8th grade — about 900 if you include high school — and roughly 150 parent volunteers,” Wixo said. He told commissioners the group has a positive relationship with the City and cited recent investment in turf at Badger Park. Wixo said the association would like to partner with Shorewood on future field upgrades and asked the City to “consider a possible dome because it would pay for itself with dome fees.”
Parks and Recreation Manager Czech summarized the City’s current field uses and scheduling constraints, noting baseball, soccer and lacrosse all use grass field areas in spring, summer and fall. Commissioners asked detailed questions about preferred field dimensions, seasons and practice space: Wixo said the TFA season runs roughly mid‑August to mid‑October (high school availability covers other months) and that an ideal regulation field would be about 120 yards by 50 yards. For younger teams, he estimated practice needs could be as small as about 30 by 30 yards.
Commissioners explored possible locations and interim solutions. Commissioner Hirner suggested Silverwood as a possible practice site; Czech noted Manor Park and Minnewashta Elementary are used informally, and Wixo said the group has pursued additional space at St. Therese and with nearby cities. Commissioners also asked about adaptive programming; Wixo said adaptive play currently occurs on Wednesday nights at the high school and did not expect the City to build a separate adaptive facility.
The Commission did not take formal action on the request. Manager Czech said staff would consider the information from the presentation as part of park planning and the forthcoming Parks Master Plan process.
