GARDEN GROVE : Arena Soccer Courts to Be Built at Park

Two lighted, outdoor arena soccer courts will be built on about two acres at Garden Grove Park under an agreement that City Council members have reached with Indoor/Outdoor Soccer Park Inc. of Poway.

The two fields--one 85 by 200 feet, the other a smaller, 50-by-80-foot version for younger players--will be enclosed by board walls and have an artificial-turf surface. When the complex opens late this year or early next year, it will be the only public arena soccer facility in Orange County, officials said.

Indoor/Outdoor Soccer Park Inc. will spend about $500,000 to build the soccer courts, restrooms, a snack bar, an office and possibly a pro shop.

The company will pay the city a base rate of $500 a month after six months of operation and $1,000 a month after 15 months. After two years, the city will get $1,500 a month or an undetermined percentage of gross receipts, which could be as high as 15% if receipts total more than $500,000 a year.

The courts will be smaller than regulation soccer fields and will only be able to accommodate six-member teams, said Cal Rietzel, manager of the city’s Community Services Department.

The facility will host clinics and workshops as well as league games and tournaments. But it won’t be available for casual pickup games.

Being able to play the ball off the walls is expected to provide a faster game and appeal to players, Rietzel said. Players have told him that a walled-in arena contributes to better ball handling and passing, he said.

“Soccer is really popular in Orange County,” Rietzel said. “Adults and youngsters will find arena soccer a fascinating sport.”

He believes that the complex will get plenty of public notice because it will be located within view of the Garden Grove Freeway, where 173,000 vehicles reportedly pass each day.

A 12-foot-high fence will surround the complex.

Indoor/Outdoor Soccer Park Inc. has an arena soccer facility in Poway.