Not enough field space…

What, you say? How is it possible there is not enough field space in West Los Angeles?

Take a look at existing public park field spaces south of the 10; west of the 405 and north of the 105 in the City of Los Angeles:

Facility	Park Area	Fields	Soccer fields	Base ball fields
	Acres	Acres	#	#
Admiralty Park	6.19	0	0	0
Ballona Wetlands/ Playa Vista LL	556.01	5.57	0	3
Burton Chase Park	9.66	0	0	0
Carl Nielsen Park	8	5.48	1	2
Culver Slauson Park	1.99	0	0	0
Del Rey Lagoon Park	10.64	1.26	0	1
Dockweiler State Beach	249.81	0	0	0
Glen Alla Park	4.79	0	0	0
Mar Vista Gardens Park	2.28	2.28	1	1
Mar Vista Park*	18.45	7.65	2	3
North Venice LL/Ocean View Farms	14.39	4.35	0	3
Oakwood Rec Center	3.64	2.23	1	2
Penmar Park/Golf Course	62.08	5.83	2	5
Venice Beach	211.97	0	0	0
Vista Del Mar Park	1.06	0	0	0
Westchester Rec Center/Golf Course	96.97	7.86	2	3
Westminster Park	2.17	0	0	0
	1260.1	42.51	9 fields	23 fields
	Total Acres	Playable Acres	Soccer	Base ball

Note: Playa Vista’s totals not available yet; development under construction

A whopping 3.3%, 42.51 acres out of 1260.1 acres--that is the total amount of field space available to youth and adult field sports: soccer, baseball, softball, rugby, American football, Aussie football, and so on. Not to mention shared uses by numerous independent schools with little or no field space of their own for athletic programs.

Sobering, isn’t it?

Now, consider future demand for this space as the Westside builds out along transit corridors.

Field space requires sizable chunks of real estate: about 1.25 to 1.5 acres for a soccer field, for example. Or, 3.5 acres for a baseball field.

The problem is there isn’t a mechanism built into the community planning process in Los Angeles to realistically estimate the amount of space needed to accommodate this impending growth.

Imagine the demand in a decade…

New Year’s Day 2007: Mar Vista Soccer Field

Some of the most entertaining soccer you will ever see is right in your own back yard…

I wandered over to our regional rec center about 3:30 PM New Year’s Day to discover for myself a treasured local community holiday tradition: a men’s soccer tournament.

Although the field was full of spectators, ambient noise from local traffic drowned out all but the referee’s determined whistles and the occasional shot blasted on target from midfield.

Walking the perimeter, I spoke with many participants, onlookers, and organizers, who have been coming to this field to engage in recreational soccer for well over a decade…long before it was renovated with a synthetic all weather surface and permanently anchored goals [a rarity in our public parks, to be sure].

My guides pointed with pride to multiple generations present--their children and grandchildren romping about the sidelines. And they noted three young servicemen [Marines, I think they said] home for the holidays playing in this tournament for fun and relaxation. A wonderful family atmosphere.

After the days play ended, they planned a celebratory barbecue over in the picnic area.

It was enjoyable; I lingered to watch the final game.

Step overs, bicycle kicks, speedy precise passing, fantastic headers, great saves…awesome.

This is what a public soccer field is all about: building community.