The Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance has begun negotiating with
the city on a contract to run the city’s Outdoor Sports Center on
Condit Road.
The Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance has begun negotiating with the city on a contract to run the city’s Outdoor Sports Center on Condit Road.
The alliance won’t formally take over management and scheduling at the 38-acre complex of artificial and natural turf sports fields until July 1, but the local nonprofit is excited to proceed with their goal of making the facility a top-notch regional destination for youth sports organizations, according to MHYSA president Jeff Dixon.
“We’re going to have to compete with all the other facilities that have eight to 12 fields (in the western region),” Dixon said. “Everybody that’s out there that rents facilities for tournaments, they have specific locations to choose from. We have to make the Outdoor Sports Center, and Morgan Hill, the best option for their organization.”
Another goal set out in the alliance’s business plan for the fields is to get as many children as possible onto the fields.
The city council voted 4-1 in favor of a proposal by MHYSA to run the OSC Wednesday. The alliance replaces the California Youth Soccer Association, who has run the facility for about 26 years.
Despite some trepidation to a new field manager displayed by business owners – especially hotel operators who have benefited from weekend regional soccer tournaments hosted at the center by CYSA – potential users for the fields appear eager to use them.
On Monday, Dixon said the alliance received calls from youth sports organizations who are interested in filling three previously vacant weekends in August. Also in August, the Magic Cup hosted by the Central Valley Youth Soccer League will continue as planned. But this year, for the first time in the tournament’s history at the OSC, the local Pop Warner youth football league will be able to use the site at the same time, Dixon said.
The alliance also hopes to continue to work with CYSA, who threatened to stop using the fields and hosting tournaments – and removing its soccer goals and other equipment – at the OSC unless the city awarded them the contract. However, CYSA executive director Dave Mann said Wednesday that he has met with MHYSA representatives since the council’s decision and is considering options to continue using the local fields.
“We’ll wait until (MHYSA) is done negotiating with the city, and we can see their terms and rates. There’s no reason for us not to use Morgan Hill if we can make a good deal,” Mann said.
The CYSA, which is affiliated with the local Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League, has historically been the OSC’s biggest user, and last year hosted 15 regional and district tournaments on weekends that attracted young athletes and their families from out of town.
The city and MHYSA are in the process of working out a contract for the operation of the OSC. The city hopes to have such an agreement signed and approved by the middle of June.
The city put the operation of the facility out to bid last year. After reviewing proposals and business plans from three different companies, including the CYSA, city staff and the parks and recreation commission recommended awarding the contract to MHYSA.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Councilwoman Marilyn Librers voted against the MHYSA’s proposal because it didn’t contain enough information about their financial viability. Specifically, she said their proposal contained some financial “holes,” such as no line item for taxes the organization might have to pay on income from parking and concessions.
Council members indicated that city staff should request quarterly financial reports from the MHYSA, and should assess the alliance’s performance after two years.
Choosing a new contractor for the sports fields was a “difficult challenge” because of unknown factors, such as the financial viability, presented in the alliance’s business plan, Councilman Greg Sellers said. One of the alliance’s key strengths is its desire to bring more adults and youths to the fields, participating in a variety of sports, Sellers said.
