ANAHEIM : District Asked to OK Use of Playing Fields
Parents of youth soccer players this week lobbied the Anaheim Union High School District trustees to allow the teams to retain use of district playing fields.
The district leases the former Oxford Junior High School site to the city of Cypress, which, in turn, rents it out to Brethren Christian Junior and Senior High School. About 1,000 members of the American Youth Soccer Organization have permission from the city to use the site’s five fields for after-school practice and weekend games.
“With this many children, coordinating playing time and finding playing facilities is incredible,” said Bob Solheim, an American Youth Soccer Organization board member. “The children of our community would be devastated if they were not able to continue playing on these fields.”
The school board postponed a decision about use of the fields until its April 30 meeting. However, trustees voted unanimously to end the lease with Cypress when it expires Sept. 1 but to continue renting the property to Brethren and the North Orange County Regional Occupation Program, which uses the school building.
“I don’t believe this board has any intention to disrupt the soccer organization’s use of the fields,” said trustee Molly McGee.
Parents of soccer players became concerned after a newsletter published by a Brethren parents group said the school was considering using the fields for Saturday afternoon football games.
The school’s year-old high school football team now rents fields from other schools for practices and games. The team wanted to play at its own school on Friday nights, but neighbors were opposed to the late-night lights and noise from the games.
Dennis R. Brown, superintendent of Brethren, said that the comments in the newsletter were not official remarks from the school administration and that any plans for the football team to play on the fields could be coordinated with the soccer league.
Youngsters from Cypress, Anaheim, La Palma, Stanton and Buena Park, ages 5 to 18, use the fields for soccer games and practice.
