Heat Negotiating to Play at El Camino

Los Angeles Heat General Manager Dick White is negotiating with El Camino College to rent Murdock Stadium for home games next season, apparently for a reduced rate.

White, a member of the El Camino fund-raising foundation and a graduate of the school, said Friday that he has held discussions with El Camino, but would not reveal to whom has he talked. However, two sources with the Heat indicated that White has received an offer of $3,000 per game, $1,100 less than the field normally costs.

“All I will say is that things are proceeding, but how and why and who, I can’t tell you,” White said.

The Heat, which played its home games at West Torrance High last season, earlier announced it planned to move to Orange County. But those plans fell through and White said last week that he wants to keep the team in the South Bay.

The other site apparently under consideration is Veterans Stadium in Long Beach, where the team played its first game of the American Professional Soccer League West championship series against the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks. The Heat drew 3,500 at Long Beach, its biggest crowd of the season. Its biggest crowd at West Torrance was 1,126.

Manager Randy Scottini said rental at Veterans Stadium, which has a license to sell beer, is “about $2,000 or so.” But Scottini said he has not been contacted by the Heat.

According to President John Ajemian, a majority of Heat owners say cost of a facility should be the No. 1 factor in deciding where the team plays. The facility would also have to meet APSL standards. APSL officials were unhappy with the Heat’s arrangement with West Torrance High.

El Camino Civic Center Manager Arlene Cebalo, who handles rental of Murdock Stadium, was unaware that discussions with the Heat are taking place.

She said that all rental requests are supposed to “cross my desk” and added that El Camino charges $3,100 to nonprofit organizations for rental of the facility.

“The L.A. Heat does not qualify for (nonprofit rates here),” she said.

James Schwartz, El Camino dean of physical education, was unavailable for comment.