Condition Of West El Paso Soccer Fields Concerns Some

ABC-7 has received complaints from a viewer about the condition of the fields at the Westside Sports Complex, which is only about two years old and cost the city about $5 million dollars to build.

It’s located near Transmountain Road and Interstate 10, behind Canutillo High School and El Paso Community College’s Northwest Campus.

“These are really tough fields right now,” said El Paso Heat volunteer soccer coach Steve Donnelly. “Really tough. There’s so many rocks, you’re running around, you trip on a rock and that’s an ankle or a knee. You gotta worry about injuries.”

He says that it’s even scared some players away.

“We’ve got teams that don’t want to come here because of how hard the ground is,” Donnelly said. “It’s really hard to play soccer on these fields.”

Donnelly said he thought the new complex would be used strictly for soccer. But he’s seen a lot of football teams playing there as well. About six months ago he saw a new sign pop up near the entrance reading: Westside Sports Complex. But a seal placed here near the concession stands in September 2008 clearly says west side soccer complex … so which one is it?

“The sign at the entracnce is a City Parks and Rec sign that says what the park is,” said Paula Powell, sports manager for El Paso Parks and Recreation. “It is a sports complex.”

Powell admitted that initially, “at the very beginning,” the complex was a soccer complex, but that has since changed.

“We try to provide opportunities for children in all sports,” she said. “where am I going to put the football kids?”

She said the current condition of the fields is due to several factors.

“First of all, it’s winter and it’s the offseason, so it’s not going to be plush green fields,” Powell said. “Second thing is we are between seasons.”

Powell said the city is trying to give the fields a rest while they work on issues from the recent freeze.

“First of all we handled all the emergencies after the freeze,” she said, “now this week they’re starting on the irrigation.”

And she promised the fields will look a lot better very soon.

“By the time the first Saturday in March comes when we start play,” Powell said, “all these fields will look a lot different.”

ABC-7 spoke with one teen soccer player who said the condition of the eight fields at the Westside Complex is better than many of the soccer fields in the city.

Powell said the second phase of the complex, with five new fields, will open soon. And that, along with a rotation of the fields, could help keep them in better shape.//