CIVIC CENTER SOCCER FIELD USE

This past week, the City and several Council Members received emails from five concerned residents over AYSO's allocation of the Civic Center Field. This allocation period, AYSO was allocated one less hour per week to accommodate another user that traditionally has used the field at the High School.

AYSO is a regional program, serving the communities of Arcadia, Bradbury, Duarte, Monrovia, and Sierra Madre. Of the 995 participants, 373 or 37% are Arcadia residents. Similarly, the other user is a regional program, which has been established in the City for over 25 years, but serves adults.

Unfortunately, AYSO did not reach out to staff regarding their concern over the one-hour change in use; instead, they asked members of their organization to reach out to the City Council to intervene.

On Wednesday, staff hosted one of the two annual field allocation meetings with all the field users to discuss the next field allocation period. As part of the process, each field user submits applications for the upcoming season. There are many variables that go into each field allocation, such as in-season sports, residency verification, nonprofit organization status, youth programs, open registration, and participation based on ability. We strive for a solution that is fair and beneficial to all user groups utilizing City of Arcadia facilities. We will continue working together to ensure that permitted users can access the fields as intended, while maintaining the facilities for long-term use. If you receive any more inquiries about field allocations, I would encourage you to direct those people to our Recreation staff for follow-up.