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FIELD REPLACEMENT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: How does the California Soccer Park help the community?

  • The California Soccer Park generates $1.9 million per year in spending in the City of Redding, including $300,000 at hotels. 

  • 8 large tournaments per year

  • 12,000 Spectators at tournaments

  • 125,000 spectators per year

  • 5000 tournament players

  • 424 tournament teams

  • 6000 players are in the youth league district (including the mountain areas)

  • Over 2500 local players who play regularly at the park.

  • Similar parks in other cities would pay approximately $560,000 per year to operate a park like the California Soccer Park.  By partnering with the Shasta Soccer Association (a non-profit organization), the City of Redding does not pay to operate or maintain the park.

  • The California Soccer Park builds a community in a digital age. Kids gather, train, build leadership skills and stay in good physical condition. This helps to build a healthy lifestyle and an empowered workforce for the future.

  • Provides jobs. The park is an excellent place to help students earn income while in college or high school as employees, referees, interns, etc.

  • Shows off our city! Besides the field condition, the park is loved by all who experience it. The walking path, stadium seating, Striker's Food and Beverage, restrooms and beautiful scenery all give our visitors a little bit of envy. Plus, The California Soccer Park is a safe place to play.

Q: How can you make a lease payment to fund the field replacement?

  • Leagues will pay a modest increase for the field rentals, enough to cover the cost.

  • Better fields, more opportunity, increased attraction and utilization

  • Soccer is a growing sport

  • Improved Economic conditions and broader community support from donors & sponsors)

  • Working in the past with defective fields in a down-economy was a challenge. Although the City of Redding eventually settled a legal claim for $500,000, the park lost revenue due to the condition of the fields. 

  • Some sports, like ultimate frisbee rely heavily on their ability to dive. Diving at the park in these conditions involves increased risk of injury.

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  • Another loss is that a star name like Megan Rapinoe or a large corporation would be unable to put their name on a tournament with the fields in their  condition, losing revenue-generating opportunities for camps, clinics, sponsors, and advertisers. Additionally, it has been relatively inexpensive to play at a park that is as nice as the California Soccer Park. The $4 gate admission fee barely covers the increasing utility costs.

  • The replacement of the current playing surface involves removal and replacement of the drainage system that failed, which is under the turf. An otherwise $2 million-dollar project will now cost $4.7 million-dollars. Advance technology in the new system provides decades of drainage and safety.

Q: What happens if the City Council votes to NOT pay for new fields?

  • The future viability of operating the park would be seriously in question.

Q: Why don't the soccer families pay for new fields since not everyone in the city uses them?

  • Those who use the park pay a gate fee, and they pay to rent the fields. They also invest in travel to other cities. In return, visiting teams come here to play the local teams, spending money. The California Soccer Park is a community park and has generated over $20 million in spending in the City. Local teams and leagues are able to attract other teams to come to our city for a match and for tournaments. When teams come, they are too busy with soccer and do not get a chance to enjoy all that the area has to offer, so they may return for a vacation, spending even more money. Without the Soccer Park, this would not be possible. A single weekend tournament can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue for Redding. Most everyone in the city is positively impacted by the park, no matter their occupation. 

Q: Why don't the players just play at the other parks in Redding?

  • Redding is completely booked for parks in the spring and fall soccer seasons and we currently only have one lighted park besides the California Soccer Park. Much of the time, play occurs after the sun has set, and California Soccer Park has four lighted fields. If the park were to close, there would be no immediate place for the kids to play.

Q: Why don't you just put in grass, that's cheap?

  • In the short and long term, synthetic grass is less expensive.

  • approximately 60% of the kids would not get to play due to field rotation

  • Spring, fall and winter would all have potential for rain-outs and loss of revenue

  • Watering and maintaining grass is extremely expensive

  • Year-round access could be eliminated

  • Schools, and other leagues which have natural grass would no longer have the California Soccer Park as a backup field when it rains. Inclimate weather brings Simpson University, Shasta College, Anderson High School and other teams to the California Soccer Park.

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