By Thomas Hughes. Bay City News.
The San Jose Earthquakes soccer team is partnering with Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose to build new professional soccer fields and a training facility at the County Fairgrounds.
The plan was announced at a news conference at the fairgrounds on Wednesday with city and county elected officials and representatives of the Earthquakes, who detailed a plan to install eight fields that could be shared by the Major League Soccer team and the public.
Earthquakes midfielder Edwyn Mendoza, 17, said the fields will give young people in the community the opportunity to train alongside professionals and see their practice routines up close.
“I grew up in San Jose, so this facility will be a game-changer, not only for the Earthquakes players, but also for the kids in my community who have a great time playing the sport they love,” Mendoza said.
“For them, having the opportunity to play on courses right next to the professionals they admire will serve as a visual reminder that they can follow their dreams and make them a reality one day,” he added.
The proposal would have the county lease 30 acres at Umbarger and Monterey roads. Four public fields would be built on 16 acres, the team would lease the other 14 acres and build a 35,000-square-foot training facility that will house locker rooms and weight rooms, a dining hall, a theater, a medical treatment center, offices and more.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, who spearheaded the project, said at the news conference that the new fields would further connect the community to the fairgrounds as a public resource.
“Putting this project here is very important because it shows the public that this area really belongs to everyone and the neighborhood that surrounds this community, how important it is to have recreation that is safe and healthy for our children,” Chavez said.
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said finding fields for youth teams to play on is a persistent challenge in the city, and that up to 50 fields would have to be built to meet demand.
“This is a community resource that is desperately needed in San Jose,” Mahan said. He said he hoped the facility would become a regional destination for youth soccer and for residents to enjoy the sport.
Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez took time to run heading drills with some of the kids who attended Wednesday's event. He said the team was committed to training and recruiting local players.
“I have worked across the country, and as soccer continues to grow in the United States, I have witnessed firsthand how important it is for community fields to be connected to their local professional clubs,” Gonzalez said.
San Jose City Councilmembers Dev Davis, Bien Doan, Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres also attended the news conference, along with Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and Earthquakes President Jared Shawlee.
The team, county and city have until October 2024 to finalize negotiations for the project under an agreement reached in April.
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