New sports complex kicks into operation

Sue Doyle

COSTA MESA -- World War II pilots learned to fly there. Costa Mesa High

School students learned to farm there. And now the same piece of land has

transformed again to serve new generations.

The Farm Sports Complex, 18 acres of lush athletic fields on Fairview

Road at Monitor Way, provides youngsters participating in soccer leagues

with six new fields to play on. Lights stand over two of the fields,

allowing for night games.

After years of planning, the new complex was officially dedicated

Saturday with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

But the fields aren’t open to the public. All field use must receive city

approval and people must go through a permit process, said Costa Mesa

City Manager Allan Roeder.

The gated facility will be closed when there are no official games

scheduled.

“It won’t be open for free play or where people can just go out,” Roeder

said. “You must schedule a use.”

The city purchased the $7.5-million site from the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District three years ago, but had to literally wait for the grass

to grow before it was ready for use.

The fields now resemble a healthy green shag carpet -- all set to be

trampled with little cleated feet.

And that’s good news to some City Council members who hope the fields

give young children a chance to learn new skills -- and provide an

alternative for any bored teenagers.

If the city hadn’t purchased the land, it could have been sold to a

developer for housing.

“Instead of farming crops, they’re farming future citizens who grow up

healthy and strong and on the right road,” said Councilman Joe Erickson.

Councilwoman Heather Somers doubles as a soccer mom and recognized the

advantage the new complex brings. She said there simply isn’t enough open

space for all the soccer games. Teams played wherever they could and

mainly rotated use of school venues. Sometimes children played on Sundays

because there wasn’t enough space, Somers said.

As a coach for the American Youth Soccer Organization in Costa Mesa, Erik

Leyson knows how overcrowded things can get. More than 100 AYSO teams

play during the fall and many times they have to practice anywhere they

can find the space.

“Having a soccer complex exclusively for this is a large benefit,” Leyson

said. “We won’t have to duck baseballs anymore.”

FYI

To apply for a use permit, call the city of Costa Mesa’s parks and

recreation department at (714) 754-5300.