IRVINE : Teams to Get Their Kicks --Indoors

A former star of the Iranian National Soccer Team is converting a vacant warehouse on Murphy Avenue into a indoor soccer complex that he hopes will attract enthusiasts from around the county.

Hosein Kalani, a 48-year-old engineer who has lived in the United States for five years, plans to open the arena early next year. It will have one of the largest indoor soccer facilities in the state and will be one of just two in all of Orange County, he said.

Kalani and the other project investors hope the site will become the county’s soccer capital, home to both indoor soccer tournaments and a sports academy.

They said soccer is already a surprisingly popular sport in Irvine, which boasts of 120 teams for both youths and adults. Orange County has about 2,800 teams. Though the vast majority of them play outdoor soccer, Kalani said the popularity of indoor soccer is growing.

“We see a lot of interest here,” he said. “We want to be in Irvine.”

The 23,000-square-foot arena will house two soccer fields, a restaurant and “soccer tennis” courts, in which players kick a soccer ball back and forth over a net.

During the afternoon, the complex will serve primarily as a soccer academy in which Kalani and coaches will teach students how to play the game.

“Indoors is a good place to teach the basic skills like how to pass and kick,” said Alireza Jazayeri, an Irvine community services commissioner who is helping Kalani open the facility. “You don’t have a big field, so you don’t have to run for 10 minutes to get the ball and bring it back.”

At night and on weekends, the fields will be used mostly for soccer tournament sponsored by the complex. Players would form teams and pay a flat rate of about $700 per team for a season of play. At the end of the tournament, Kalani would award trophies to winners.

Indoor soccer differs from outdoor soccer in several key respects. The indoor field is smaller and players can use the walls on both sides of the field to bounce the ball.

Jazayeri said indoor soccer requires a softer touch than the outdoor sport because the game is contained within four walls and a ceiling. “You can’t just kick it as hard as you can,” he said.

The only other indoor arena is in Anaheim, he said.

Irvine officials welcome the facility, saying it will provide more recreational opportunities to both children and adults.

“I think this will really benefit the community,” said Deanna Manning, Irvine’s director of community services.

In addition to the soccer complex, Irvine might soon be home to a baseball driving range. The range is one of the attractions proposed for some land off Michelson Drive. City officials are also discussing whether to build a softball complex in Civic Center Park.