Fee Hike Threatens Chula Vista Youth Sports

Posted by Eastlaketimes Community of Eastlake, Eastlake Government, Eastlake Little League Baseball, Eastlake News, Eastlake Sports, Family, Local News Saturday, June 18th, 2011

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Chula Vista City Council Approves Fee Hike For City’s 50 Sports Fields

Parents are mobilizing in Chula Vista after learning the City Council approved fee hikes for the city’s 50 sports fields that some say could threaten the existence of some youth sports teams.

Nearly 10,000 children play baseball, soccer and other sports in the city, which also hosts adult leagues on its fields. The city spends $800,000 keeping the fields in shape, but says it needs an extra $375,000.

“Right now the community at large is subsidizing the maintenance of the fields,” City Manager Jim Sandoval told 10News, adding that the city needs to find a way to pass the costs on to sports teams in a way that will impact them the least.

“We want to be as easy as possible on them and the only reason we want the money is to fix the fields so that they’re in good shape,” said Sandoval.

Under the plan approved by City Council, the cost for use of an unlighted playing field would no longer be free. Teams would have to pay $10 per hour, and lighted fields would cost $25 per hour, up from $10. The cost per player would go from $1 to $47.

“The bottom line would be more money out of the parents’ pocketbooks, at a time where it’s not exactly the best in terms of economics,” said Luis, a parent of two baseball players.

Angela Cole of the Youth Sports Council said they were “blindsided” by the city’s proposal, which could force some organizations to close their doors. Cole said the city never asked the sports teams for input on the plan, which disproportionately puts pressure on some organizations that have no way to meet the city’s financial expectations.

One of the organizations that could feel the financial pinch is the one that brought fame to Chula Vista in 2009 — the year the Park View All-Stars won the Little League World Series. More than 600 kids play on Park View’s baseball teams, and not all of their parents can afford the fee hike.

“When those numbers came out, we just looked at each other like, are we going to have a league next year?” said Park View board member Tony Garcia, who once played on Park View teams and now has a son who does.

“When we’re talking about affecting youth sports, I think there has to be a way and a common ground to come together and try to fix this where you won’t have these kids left out,” Garcia said.

Because of the reaction of sports leagues, Sandoval said he’ll ask the City Council to put the fee hikes on hold until November.

Many parents said they’ll bring their kids, wearing sports uniforms, to next Tuesday’s council meeting to make sure Sandoval keeps his promise and to make sure that council members understand the importance of keeping youth sports affordable.

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