Agenda 06-03-2025; 8-a - Minutes

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37 1 Commissioner McKee asked the Board rhetorically how far the Board was willing to 2 impinge and impede on people's lives in order to live on their property. 3 Chair Bedford said that is an important question to consider as they think about preserving 4 open space and helping the climate. She said the Board would get their thoughts to the 5 Agricultural Preservation Board. 6 7 4. Soccer.com Center Report 8 The Board received a status report on the Soccer.com Center, a 34-acre soccer complex 9 operated by the County in western Orange County." 10 11 BACKGROUND: The Soccer.com Center opened in 2009, constucted with the "Soccer 12 Superfund" monies from the 2001 County Parks and Open Space Bond. 13 14 As outlined in the attached report, the complex includes five (5)full-size fields and one (1) practice 15 field, and is co-located with Gravelly Hill Middle School on West Ten Road. The School and Center 16 were designed and constructed at the same time in order to optimize infrastructure and parking 17 opportunities. In 2011, locally-based sports equipment firm, Sports Endeavors, secured naming 18 rights for the facility, under the company's Soccer.com (previously Eurosport) brand. 19 20 The facility has proven to be a desirable location for primarily soccer, but also lacrosse and 21 ultimate frisbee play. When the facility was built, it was intended to meet both 1)a need for soccer 22 fields for local recreational soccer programs, and 2)a site for soccer tournaments from across the 23 region, State and beyond. The Center has been in high demand for both of these functions over 24 the years, and in 2016 an adjacent 37-acre tract was acquired for expansion of the Center. While 25 there are future soccer fields planned in the County, Orange County at present has only one (1) 26 soccer field at Efland Cheeks Park and another at the Central Recreation Center in addition to 27 those at Soccer.com. 28 29 The fields at Soccer.com are heavily used for both weeknight recreational soccer play and 30 weekend tournament soccer during both the spring and fall seasons. The facility, which features 31 a highly-manicured natural grass Bermuda playing surface, operates from mid-March into early 32 June, and again from mid-August until early December. Staff at the Center spend a significant 33 amount of time marking and lining any of 20 different field configurations for the upcoming week's 34 play. In FY 2023-24, 474 reservations were made for field use at the Center, with almost 155,000 35 total visitors (head count). Field usage fees are examined periodically by comparison with other 36 like facilities and were most-recently adjusted in 2023. 37 38 After a significant drop in FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21 revenues due to COVID closure and a 39 return to pre-pandemic levels of activity, the Soccer.com Center generated $205,362 in revenue 40 in FY 2023-24, with expenditures of$238,743 in direct costs ($408,406 if all personnel and other 41 expenses are added). Staff is proposing new revenue generating concepts for FY 2025-26, 42 including charging for tournament parking. 43 44 The Center also participates in many large tournaments, the biggest of which is the annual Boys 45 and Girls Soccer Showcase events. These two tounaments, now held in early December, attract 46 teams from all over North America and beyond. The Showcase events, which happen at several 47 locations across the Triangle, are an opportunity for top high school players to be seen by 48 collegiate recruiters from all across the country. As such, these two (2) weekend events bring in 49 thousands of players, coaches, parents and others to the facility and the area, generating 50 economic impact well beyond the facility's revenues generated. A recent assessment by the 51 Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau of the 2024 College Series Soccer Showcases