Farm sparks wrangling over soccer turf

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- The competition has mounted at the Farm Sports Complex

weeks before its first scheduled soccer game.

Two AYSO regions -- one serving players almost entirely from Costa

Mesa, the other made up of mostly Newport Beach children -- are fighting

for playing time on one of the lighted fields that opened last month.

In mid-July, the city’s recreation staff, following published

guidelines, divided use of the field between the two regions based on the

number of registered Costa Mesa players.

“The City Council dedicated time and resources to acquire the Farm for

the benefit of all Costa Mesa youth,” said Steve Hayman, the city’s

director of administrative services.

AYSO Region 97, which Commissioner Steve Rasch says has 1,700 players,

including 650 from Costa Mesa, was allocated one of the three lighted

fields for four hours Monday nights, two hours Wednesday nights and two

hours Thursday nights.

But Jon Zich, commissioner of AYSO Region 120, where all but about 30

of the 1,400 players are from Costa Mesa, said the Newport Beach-dominant

Region 97 is treading on its turf.

“The relationship between the two regions has been very amicable for a

long time,” he said. “Part of the reason is there as been an

understanding and respect for boundaries. The rub is that Newport Beach

sees fields in our part of town that they want. But it’s our part of

town.”

The frontier, Rasch and Zich agreed, was historically defined by the

Costa Mesa Freeway. Region 97 recruited players and played on fields east

of the unofficial border, with Region 120 to the west.

But Rasch said the lack of lighted fields in his area has made it

practically impossible for all of his region’s teams to play the standard

number of games.

“The only reason we want to use the field here is that Newport Beach

hasn’t allowed us to have our own [lighted] fields,” he said.

“I understand where Jon is coming from. I can’t blame him for wanting

to have more fields. But we want the same thing.”

Hayman, who is overseeing the Farm’s schedule for the city, said the

unofficial AYSO boundary would not influence which regions use the

fields.

“We want to ensure that Costa Mesa youth who live east of the 55

Freeway aren’t deprived the opportunity to play on our brand-new premium

fields,” he said.

Both commissioners are scheduled to meet today with Hayman.

TURF WAR?

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