Schedule Some Opportunity

It turns out that the difficulty many girls’ sports teams face in booking a playing field may be less a matter of space and more a problem of scheduling. Last week, Los Angeles parks officials released a study revealing that 20% of the San Fernando Valley’s recreational centers and parks are not fully used. Realigning schedules to make better use of scarce space could open more opportunities for girls’ sports--which often play second to boys’.

The report was prompted by a federal lawsuit filed against the city by the West Valley Girls Softball League, which alleged that boys’ teams get prime playing fields while girls get the leftovers. The American Civil Liberties Union expanded the suit to cover girls citywide. Clearly, something is wrong. Valleywide, 14,304 boys participate in city sports programs but just 3,503 girls do. Access to fields is not the only reason for the discrepancy, but obviously girls cannot play sports that are not offered.

As City Councilman Mike Feuer noted, the study by the Department of Recreation and Parks was a “good beginning” toward getting more girls involved in city sports programs. The first step toward solving the problem is understanding what it is. For instance, seven recreation centers in the Valley have at least 20 after-school hours available for new programs. Another six have land that could accommodate more fields. And large recreation areas such as Hansen Dam and Sepulveda Basin have wide spaces of open land that could be developed as playing fields.

Although last week’s analysis examined only Valley parks, officials should expand their review citywide. As Los Angeles’ population grows within confined boundaries, the need exists to make better use of all resources--from parks to sewers to roads. A park is no less necessary than a sewer or a road in a community’s life. Children deserve to be able to play soccer or softball on fields that are close to home. These days, it may just as likely be a group of girls playing soccer as it is a team of boys playing baseball. New realities require city officials to think about youth sports in new ways, to develop new fields as necessary, but most importantly to make the best use of those they have.