Modesto soccer league nearing its goal

A youth soccer league that serves hundreds of children in west and south Modesto soon could have a home of its own, a 14-acre soccer complex that will be built through community donations, the volunteer labor of parents, and a little help from local government.

More than 100 Stanislaus Youth Soccer League officials, coaches, players and their parents, as well as Modesto and Stanislaus County officials, gathered Friday for a groundbreaking at Bellenita Park in west Modesto. The complex will be next to the park and could open as soon as the league’s next season in April.

League Vice President Gus Calderon said in an interview that having their own soccer complex will be a source of pride for the league’s roughly 1,200 players and their families. He said the league has used soccer facilities throughout the area and it’s been a scramble to find a place to play.

“It’s an accomplishment to have our own soccer field,” said Calderon, who also is one of the league’s coaches and has three children in the league.

Marshall Elementary School teacher Teresa Inocencio founded the league 18 years ago with fellow teacher Tony Martinez, who was then teaching at Orville Wright Elementary School and now teaches at Shackelford Elementary. Martinez was not able to attend the groundbreaking.

Inocencio said about 90 percent of the players come from west and south Modesto and many come from poor Hispanic families. She said other soccer fields can be difficult to travel to for league families and cost too much to rent. “This is a dream come true,” she said at the groundbreaking.

The league is working with former Modesto Councilman Brad Hawn on the project. Hawn drew loud applause and many thanks during the groundbreaking ceremony.

The 14-acre soccer complex will be next to Bellenita Park. Both are part of the Tuolumne River Regional Park, which consists of more than 500 acres of parkland along 7 miles of the Tuolumne River. The regional park is owned by Modesto, Ceres and Stanislaus County. The regional park’s commission approved letting the soccer league build and maintain the complex.

Modesto will supply the water to keep the complex’s fields green. It will come from a well at the city’s nearby Sutter Avenue wastewater treatment plant. The well water is unsuitable for drinking.

Hawn said the project has raised about $45,000 as well as donations of services and materials from local businesses, including a company that will grade the 14 acres at a discount. The league’s parents will dig the trenches for the irrigation lines, install the sprinklers and plant the grass. Hawn said the league needs to raise about $30,000 to buy the grass.

The league eventually wants to raise money for a snack bar, bathrooms and a paved parking lot.

Inocencio, who is a league board member, said the league is instrumental in teaching players the skills they will need as adults to master life. Those comments were echoed by south Modesto resident Analilia Garcia, whose 6-year-old son, 11-year-old niece and 14-year-old nephew play in the league.

“Obviously in Modesto there is a lot of gang violence and negativity,” she said. “This is a very positive thing in Modesto.”

This story was originally published July 16, 2016 at 6:04 PM with the headline "Modesto soccer league nearing its goal."