Disappearing soccer players and East Side vs West Side

On a cold December day, here are a few random things I thought about…

What happened to all of the soccer players?  Is it a sign of the economy, an aging community, or something else?  My kids have been playing soccer for a little over ten years now.  When they first started, and for a number of years after, every park with a soccer field in the area seemed full of kids playing the game from early in the morning until late in the afternoon.

The last couple of years, and this year in particular, not so much anymore.  More often than not, many of the fields are empty during major chunks of each fall Saturday.

It was suggested to me a few weeks ago that the cause is that there are more parks and soccer fields.  I can see this contributing to some of the load getting a little lighter on the existing fields, but there haven’t been that many new parks/fields built, particularly in my area.

Plus, the additional fields don’t explain another element.  When my oldest son was playing at the U14 level, our soccer club had three teams with 17-18 kids on each team.  This year, three years later, as my younger son leaves the U14 age bracket, the soccer club has one U14 team with 15 kids.  So, what’s going on?

Why is it that most parks in Elk Grove on the east side of 99 don’t even have Porta-Potties, let alone bricks and mortar bathrooms, while, the smallest park on the west side seems to have bathrooms made of real construction materials on cement foundations?  Better yet, why does everything that matters seem to be built on the west side? Bartholomew Sports Complex, Wackford, all of the city buildings and the planned community center.  The new, proposed sports complex.  Every big box store and large shopping mall.  I now get why Laguna had to become a part of the city of Elk Grove.  Without it, there would have been no place to put anything of import.

And, speaking of sports, are you ready for your new Elk Grove - well, I don’t know the name of the team -  MLS soccer team? Can’t you feel the excitement?!   has done a much better job than I can of pointing out the ludicrous nature of this idea. But, I can’t help myself.  As an aside, I find it interesting that both Jonathan and I are attorneys, fathers, and soccer fanatics.  There’s something there, I’m not sure yet what it is, but we apparently are part of the same conspiracy.

Having an MLS franchise in the area would be a great opportunity for the region, not just for Elk Grove. But, what I find fascinating about this, as well as the previously mentioned proposed community center, is the inability to recognize Elk Grove for what it is.

It’s a bedroom community, folks.  Yes, it’s important that Elk Grove policymakers and residents find ways to improve the quality of life in Elk Grove, but let’s keep in mind what Elk Grove really is.  A $200 million community center, a professional sports franchise in a still struggling league - maybe we should see about relocating the White House out here.

It seems that in its zeal to become the next big thing, Elk Grove has lost sight of the important middle – the part of development that takes place between the past and the future.  How about we make Old Elk Grove a destination before we provide yet another large-scale distraction?  Oh wait, maybe that’s what we can do – put the MLS stadium a block from Old Elk Grove.  That oughta cure a lot of problems.  OK, maybe not.