NFL, soccer have super turf battle
Players upset about takeover of their fields
Levi’s Stadium, the home of Super Bowl 50, is so close to the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park that for much of the day it casts a shadow over the collection of manicured fields nestled just along Bill Walsh Way.
This month, with the NFL’s global showcase fast approaching, that shadow is much bigger than normal.
As agreed to by the city of Santa Clara as part of its commitment to the host committee, the soccer venue has been taken over by the NFL since the turn of the year, to be used for security, media and production purposes.
A collection of temporary structures, marquees and storage areas have been erected, displacing the young soccer players who typically use it for games and practices and causing them to fear for its long-term viability.
“The (Super Bowl) is big and cool, but it is also a really big downfall because we don’t have somewhere to practice,” said Monica Hrncir, 15. “They’ve had so much stuff there, and the fields are totally trashed. It is pretty disappointing.”
The soccer organization is sufficiently concerned to have raised a lawsuit, arguing an alternative location could have been used by the hosting committee.
While a judge initially ruled that the fields could be retained for Super Bowl-related matters through March, a second suit has been lodged naming the NFL as co-defendants.
“We kind of fear the worst,” said Gabe Foo, a board member of the soccer league. “They’ve covered up the majority of the grass fields. If you block the sunlight for three months, the grass is going to die. With all the rain from El Niño, there is water trapped and it can’t drain.
“We kind of anticipate they will tear all the grass out. That will take three or four months. We don’t think we will get the fields back until June, July or August. We really don’t know.”
The city says it has provided other potential locations for the soccer groups to use for games and training sessions.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email that use of the fields had been awarded as part of the Super Bowl selection process in 2013 and was approved by Santa Clara city officials. McCarthy said that, separate to the agreement, the NFL and the San Francisco 49ers would replace the two natural grass fields at the venue, at no cost to the city.
Foo’s group is concerned about the time that process will take and also whether the replacement surface will be of as high a quality as the previous turf, which Foo says was good enough that English Premier League team Manchester United asked to train there before an exhibition last year.
Parents and coaches say the issue has been handled poorly.
“It is kind of disheartening for the kids,” said Veronica Zepeda Cashman, a former player on the U.S. women’s national team. “(The situation) is making them feel they don’t matter, that they are not as important as this other event.”
Said Audrey Nakashima, 13, “Soccer is a big part of my life. It makes me disappointed and upset that this has happened.”
Many of the players in the youth league are chasing college scholarships and fear the upheaval could affect their chances.
“It potentially does have an impact, because those fields are a great place for coaches to come and watch you play and do their recruiting,” said Sophie Mendoza, 16. “The fields are well kept, so you see the best soccer you possibly can there.”