The Wall That Heals - Fullerton Observer

EARLY APRIL 2012 SPORTS NEWS
by Jorge Sigaran
Head Coach BlueStars F.C.
One of the Blue Stars F.C. teams with their coaches
A Field Sharing Proposal
The presence of numerous teams of soccer
players these days demonstrates the
growing popularity of the sport in our
community. But there are problems which
need solutions.
Some youth soccer clubs are expensive
and membership is sometimes based on
ability to pay rather than play. This makes
it difficult for economically challenged
youth soccer players to join.
The purpose of the OC Community
Soccer League, Blue Stars F.C. and A.C.
Fullerton is to develop players in that
underserved population and to provide
practical training that will allow kids to
stay out of trouble and perhaps be successful
in life. We could positively affect the
lives of youth in our community; however,
we do not have the support from our
city leaders.
For the last 3 years our clubs have been
left without any practice fields for the first
4 months of the year as we have always
been told that baseball takes priority over
any other sport during those months.
However, Rangers Soccer has access to
many lit fields even during baseball season,
while our soccer players either play
their weekend games without practicing
during the week, or if they practice in any
field they run the risk of being kicked off
the field by the Park Ranger.
We, the members of the Hispanic community
of Fullerton, are asking our City
for help and make the following proposal:
•Share the fields equally between baseball
and soccer during the baseball season.
Allow baseball to practice Monday thru
Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and
soccer to practice from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30
p.m.
•Or split the week between baseball and
soccer. Allow baseball practices Monday,
Wednesday and Friday and soccer practices
Tuesday and Thursday from 5:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Soccer practices are
avoided on Fridays to allow the kids to
rest and be fresh for the games scheduled
for early Saturday mornings.
If none of those suggestions are feasible
we would like to obtain a permit to place
industrial generators at one of the unlit
fields such as Ladera Vista or Nicholas
School for our clubs to practice. The cost
of these rentals will be paid by our clubs.
PSA Soccer Club uses that kind of generator
lighting at Canyon High School in
Anaheim.
Clubs in need
of practice fields
Blue Stars F.C. with 153
soccer players from 4 years old
to 17 years old.
A.C. Fullerton, with 112
soccer players from 4 years old
to 17 years old.
•Fields for practice for these
clubs during baseball season =
0
•95% of these soccer players
are Fullerton residents.
•The daily average of soccer
practicing players from
Monday thru Thursday is 63
for both clubs combined.
List of lit Parks in
Fullerton
and Current Usage
Adlena Park, used Monday
and Wednesday for baseball
and Tuesday and Thursday for
rugby.
Amerige Park, used for
baseball during baseball season;
used for soccer any other
time by Fullerton Rangers
only.
Bastanchury Sport
Complex, the soccer area used
by Fullerton Rangers only.
Independence Park, used
by Fullerton Rangers only.
Lemon Park, primarily
used for adult baseball.
Lions Field, used by
Fullerton Rangers only. (and
Pop Warner Football)
Pacific Drive Park, used by
Fullerton Rangers for practice
during the week and by the
Orange County Community
Youth Soccer League on weekends
for games.
Richman Park, used for
baseball during baseball season
and used for soccer any other
time by the Orange County
Community Youth Soccer
League.
Valencia Park, used primarily
for baseball.
Woodcrest Park, used primarily
for baseball.
FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 7
Blue Stars F.C. History
•2001: Jose Morales creates a soccer team named
Blue Stars for his son.
•2007: Blue Stars has 2 divisions, a U-6 and U-10.
Mario Villamil, a Fullerton resident, obtains the
necessary permits to create a Soccer League and gets
permission from the City of Fullerton to use
Richman Park and Gilbert Park. This new Soccer
League is named Fullerton Community Youth Soccer
League and operates in partnership with the nonprofit
Boy Scouts of America.
Jorge Sigaran coaches the Galaxy team, a U-12
Division in the NOCPSL, and is invited to join the
newly established Soccer League in Fullerton. Jorge
and Jose decide to combine the 3 teams and create
Blue Stars Futbol Club.
Blue Stars F.C. practices at Richman Park using
generators to light up the field during the winter season.
After March, other soccer clubs such as A.C.
Fullerton and Club Zapata happily share Richman
Park as the days were longer.
2009: The city agrees to put lights at Richman
Park, and the park is closed while the project is being
developed.
2010: The lights are turned on in Feb. and all soccer
players and the community surrounding
Richman Park were joyful that our kids would now
be able to practice on a lighted field.
The joy did not last very long. Pony Baseball is
given permits by the city to use the park for baseball
practices for the first time ever and soccer is chased
off. Never since 2001 had baseball practiced at
Richman, but now that it is illuminated it is considered
a baseball park. Verbal arguments took place
between the Parks & Rec supervisor and the soccer
coaches.
After appealing to the city the soccer clubs were
assigned to practice on Mon. & Wed. for a few weeks
at Adlene, too small a park to accommodate the large
number of soccer players practicing at one time.
Baseball & rugby plays on the other days.
Soccer is permited behind the baseball field # 1 at
the Fullerton Sport Complex until Daylight Saving
Time and then only allowed to practice in the
Richman Elementary School playing field. We were
not allowed to set foot in the newly illuminated park
because it was baseball season. Meanwhile, Fullerton
Rangers Soccer Club was allowed to practice and to
use many of the illuminated fields in the city.
2011: Blue Stars F.C., A.C. Fullerton, and Club
Zapata are allowed to practice but are required to pay
$21 per hour for the use of the park and the lights.
Blue Stars and A.C. Fullerton agreed to pay the fee
and every bill was paid on time. Club Zapata opted
out and did not participate in any of the practices at
Richman.
In May 2011, At Richman Community Center
Parks & Rec presents a plan to put a baseball diamond
at the northwest and southwest ends of
Richman Park with a soccer field in the middle.
Many members of the community were not happy
with the idea but were told that there was no way to
modify the plan since the grant was ready to expire
and the project had to be completed as soon as possible.
The park was closed for the months of June, July
and part of August and after the project was completed
we were advised that we can use the park but we
had to pay the per hour rental fee. Blue Stars F.C. and
A.C. Fullerton agreed to pay the fee as a greater percentage
of soccer players in both clubs live around
Richman Park. 80 to 90% of those players go to
Richman, Pacific Drive, Maple, Woodcrest,
Orangethorpe elementary schools, and Nicholas,
Sunny Hills, Valencia, and Fullerton Union high
schools.