South Gate opens new soccer complex
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Fernando Rios has soccer fever.
He is an avid follower of European soccer leagues, and his favorite player is Lionel Messi, an Argentine soccer player who currently plays for Futbol Club Barcelona.
When the 21-year-old isn’t watching games on television, he’s out playing the sport with friends on the uneven grass of South Gate Park.
Rios’ fever peaked on June 3 when a Scottish firm opened the doors to a new soccer complex at the park. Reported to be the first of its kind in the United States, the Goals Soccer Center features 10 floodlit mini-soccer fields equipped with rebound walls, netting and artificial turf.
“It’s about time,” Rios said as he held a soccer ball in one hand. “We needed this.”
But whether Rios’ soccer fever will spread remains to be seen. In a city where more than 90% of the population is Latino — about half are foreign born — and the average income is less than $36,000, the cost of a single game at the complex may prove to be a bit expensive for some families.
“It’s a nice facility for the whole community, but charging people may steer them away,” said Jorge Portillo, 20, who was recently trying out the new fields with his girlfriend, Jennifer Olvera, 19, and his 1-year-old son, Jordan. “A lot of people don’t have much money these days.”
Eduardo Magallon, 18, a resident of Bell, agreed. “I’m not sure what the pricing is going to do,” he said. “But I’m going to keep coming.”
Rios said he too would go to the complex regardless of the price.
Company officials say they want the complex to serve the region, not just South Gate residents. They say similar soccer parks have experienced immense popularity in Britain and hope for the same response in Southern California, where enthusiasm for soccer has grown exponentially.
“My key message is to take pick-up soccer in its rawest form and put it in a first-class facility,” Les Allan, president of Goals Soccer Centers Inc, said at the news conference announcing the opening. “You can go anywhere in Los Angeles county and find basketball courts, baseball fields, batting cages, but for soccer there’s nothing.... We’ve given it a community now.”
Built on 3.5 acres in the northeast corner of the park, the $5.5-million facility also has one larger field for two teams of seven players. (The smaller fields are built for two teams of five.) Each has been named after famous soccer stadiums such as Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Maracana in Rio De Janeiro, and San Siro in Milan, Italy.
The facility also includes locker rooms for men and women and a restaurant that owners hope will be filled with World Cup fans.
Construction for the state-of-the-art complex began four days after the South Gate City Council approved the agreement with Goals Soccer Center on March 24, according to city officials. Under the agreement, the private company will lease the site from the city for $154,000 a year for 25 years, plus two five-year extensions.
“It’s a great facility,” said Alexi Lalas, a former U.S. World Cup team and National Soccer Hall of Fame member, at the center’s June 3 grand opening. “I grew up playing 11-on-11, but five-on-five allows more touches, which is better for younger players. And if you’re older… it means less running,” he added. “Build it and they will come.”
