The Field is the Place to Be
Soccer is a beloved sport that emphasizes community – something the California Soccer Park in Redding understands well. As the largest soccer park in the north state, with four NCAA-sized all-weather fields, the California Soccer Park brings the community together by providing a single location for all age groups to play, as well as creating a place for coaches, players and parents to interact on a regular basis.
Chad New, the executive director, paints a helpful portrait of the park, including information about its history and its features. “The park also helps to create fundraising opportunities for the leagues,” he says. “Before the park was built, the leagues were scattered across the city, setting up and tearing down equipment at the various parks around Redding and struggling to find enough space,” says Chad.
A Popular Destination for Residents & Visitors
Now, more than 10 years later, the California Soccer Park is maxed out every afternoon during the season, providing a space for teams all over the west to compete. Lassen, Yreka and Red Bluff players are among the regulars, using the park as their home field. Even college teams from Humboldt, Stanford, Chico State, Folsom, and some Arizona schools have met at the park for their games. “We provide quality tournaments like the SMASH CUP and the Face-Off Lacrosse Jamboree, which bring in teams from the bay, Nevada, south of Sacramento and Southern Oregon,” says Chad.
Considering the services available, there is no question why so many teams from so many locations are attracted to this park. In addition to the fields, the California Soccer Park boasts a full-service snack bar, a walking path around the park, a conference room, and air-conditioned restrooms. This one-of-a-kind park receives positive responses for all its amenities, except the current state of the fields themselves.
Fundraising for a Better Park
To the dismay of the players, the fields in California Soccer Park have deteriorated due to a defect that leaves behind bits of black rubber. For this reason, the park is currently fundraising for a new field. “Our mission as a park is to connect communities, enrich lives, and inspire families, teams, and athletes through high-quality experience, but we simply can’t do that without fields,” says Chad.
The park is vital to the soccer community in the area, with more than 125,000 in yearly attendance including 6,000 youth soccer players. “We desperately need new fields for the kids,” Chad says. There is little doubt that the region will rally together to provide a new field, given the care and support this park has provided the community.
If you would like to contribute to the construction of the new field, visit the website.
Posted in: Community, Out & About
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