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Tonka United urges Shorewood to consider turf, lights and parking as club grows
Summary
Tonka United Soccer Association told the Shorewood Park Commission it serves thousands across several programs and that a dedicated facility with turf, lights or a dome could expand participation and simplify logistics; the club also flagged recurring parking problems at Freeman Park.
Noel Quinn, representing Tonka United Soccer Association, told the Shorewood Park Commission on June 24 that the club is one of the largest in the Twin Cities and outlined substantial participation and facility needs. "We are one of the biggest soccer clubs located in the Twin Cities, with 2,091 participants in recreational soccer, 960 participants in competitive soccer, [and] 1,300 participants in camps/clinics," Quinn said, and noted the Tonka Splash Tournament drew more than 465 teams this past year.
Quinn said the club uses multiple Shorewood sites—primarily Freeman Park—and described recurring parking challenges there. When Chair Hirner asked whether a large regional indoor facility in Blaine would affect the club, Quinn said he believed it could roughly double the club’s size, estimating "about 2,000 year-round soccer players and about 4,000 seasonal soccer players" if they had a dedicated facility.
Quinn outlined facility preferences that he said would increase playability and retention: turf to extend the season, lighting for evening use, and foundation work to allow a future dome to be installed. He described winter programming that already reaches new participants: "We rent an indoor facility in Eden Prairie and run some free soccer during the winter, which helped us bring in 90 children who had never played soccer before, and 60 of those children signed up to play summer recreational soccer."
Commissioner Garske raised parking at Freeman as a recurring issue; Quinn said the problem exists even outside tournament weekends but did not offer a specific remedy during the meeting. Parks and Recreation Director Czech confirmed Freeman is a primary site for Tonka United and thanked Quinn and the club for their involvement in City events and activities.
No formal action was taken; the presentation provided commissioners with participation figures and operational requests to consider as the city continues parks planning work.
