Inner Concept: My Thoughts & Ideas on Joe Albi v Downtown Stadium Debate

OK, sure, this is coming in a bit late in the whole Albi v Downtown stadium debate, but since it all still seems kind of up in the air... I want to throw an out-of-the-box idea into the fray that I have discussed for a couple years but never gotten round to publishing here: how about adding an INDOOR SPORTS FACILITY as part of an Albi overhaul? Obviously, two consecutive years like this with the smoke shows there is clearly a need for it... not to mention the winters.

If we are in the midst of a pause on this project to debate the two ideas, perhaps we can take another breather and consider an alternate option as well.

>> I don't usually do opinionated / editorial pieces, but this is a long-time coming as it has stirred in my head for years from a) the first proposal being ignored b) roads falling to pieces around the venue and c) frustration over seeing the lack of use at Albi. >>

Option 1 on this linked list of proposals (some graphics of which are posted below) for school / sports renovations has a pretty decent rendering of how the renovated Joe Albi Stadium / Middle School project would be laid out, but I propose that instead of adding a pair of outdoor turf fields in the space between the east berm and the Marine/Navy reserve facility we should add a large indoor turf facility, perhaps big enough for two fields.

Anyone that has used the turf fields at Merkel in the winter months knows that there is an absolute need for clean, safe turf surfaces for November through February in the area. I can't count the number of times I have seen ice frozen on the artificial tundra, and when that ice and snow (piled up haphazardly along the edges of the field) melt there are large puddles that often make the field unplayable as well. This hasn't just affected local club soccer / sports, but high school events have been affected as well due to field conditions or having to move indoors due to extreme cold weather.

And this is just the past two years!

And that accounts for at least four months of the year. Now look at August and September when summer fires have wreaked havoc the past two years with high school sports due to air quality. When you are preparing in a short preseason for outdoor sports like soccer and football with tryouts and practice, a school gymnasium just is not sufficient, particularly once academic use of the school starts as was the case last year. Having a district-operated indoor facility with turf would be a huge benefit for all programs.

KXLY Report: High school athletes struggle with limited practice time due to poor air quality 

Part of what could be incorporated in this facility to expand its usefulness beyond fields could be two or three floors of suites, concessions (with a dining area), additional locker rooms, meeting rooms and other enclosed amenities that would overlook the renovated stadium (as well as the indoor field). These amenities would help bring in revenue from events.

If were are going to consider extra benefits for the community by spending money on building downtown, how about considering the extra benefits of adding an indoor element that would benefit who the improvements are primarily supposed to be for - schools and sports use... not developers?

Not A Completely New Idea

This is not a crazy idea either. The Michigan Bucks, a longtime powerhouse in minor league soccer, has been playing in a large indoor facility for a decade since they built Ultimate Soccer Arenas in 2008 with private funds. The Bucks' summer schedule highlights a usage calendar that is completely full between area youth and adult rec leagues as well as club / academy training bookings. The facility also plays host to many other non-soccer events. The primary field is professional caliber and even hosted several US Open Cup matches between the Bucks and pro opponents, including Chicago Fire of MLS in 2012.

And just about everyone involved with youth soccer has seen the success and quality of the Starfire complex in Tukwila over on the west side. Though its indoor fields are on the smaller side, the facility is one of the go-to soccer locations in the region.

Combined with a renovated Albi, and perhaps some additional improvements at Merkel, the overall facility could really be quite something the city and school district could be proud of. It would also bolster an area of town that has slowly turning around thanks to some improvement in the nearby Northwest Boulevard area.

As for the current options, I personally am leaning toward the Albi renovation. As great as downtown soccer stadiums have been for many communities around the country for pro soccer, I just don't believe it would work in our market. Plus, the primary reason for this facility is SUPPOSED to be for high school sports... so that means the following in regards to a downtown stadium:

Parking - The schools that would be using this facility as their 'home' field are many of the same schools that already have financial issues, which is why they don't have adequate home fields (or plans for them) like CV, Mead, etc. Now you would be asking these lower-income families to come and try to find the rare free parking spot or pay for parking in addition to their annual school sports pass. Plus, it's not like we have lots of parking available downtown to begin with... now you want to add more events in the same small area. I'm sure there won't be any issues in the fall when you have football going on Thursday/Friday nights at the same time as major events at the neighboring arena... none at all. LOL.

Where's the parking?

Multi-use Field Markings - At a minimum, you would have football and soccer markings. But lacrosse is quickly also growing, so I am sure that would end up on the surface too. Well, for all those who think pro soccer would be a success, let me point out nearly all of these urban, downtown stadiums have been soccer-specific. Soccer fans aren't particularly keen on watching the game on fields with football grids on them - one of the reasons why Spokane Shadow First Team games have been received better by fans at SFCC instead of Joe Albi.

Long-term What-ifs - Not everything goes as planned. Let's just say pro soccer does not happen and high school football attendance is not revitalized with a new stadium - two things that are very possible. Then what, now you have spent many millions of tax dollars in the downtown area on a facility taking up a large footprint in an area that could have been developed with other things that would most likely been done with private money.

Extra Merkel Fields - Something to note on the plans published for the six new fields is that they list no toilet facilities for those fields, which are quite a long distance from the existing turf and grass fields and their minimal number of restrooms.

Spread the Love - Why does all the development have to be downtown?? Maybe if those in charge cared about other parts of the city beyond the mile outside of their office a bit more, we could see some of the communities around the town improve. I feel like it's a constant cycle of money being spent in the downtown area for special interests.

Until the First Shovel Breaks Ground

One thing is for certain. No matter what direction the schools, city and voters decide to take, the school district needs to spend a little cash to improve the driving conditions around Albi.

The roads/paths are littered with lake-sized potholes that are bad on cars and when overfilled with water create hazardous driving conditions, particularly in the dark.

These are not safe conditions for students, many of whom are new drivers or have cars that can't afford the wear-and-tear.


Make a Decision

My final note on this debate is... let's make a decision and do it. Working in minor league sports and watching headlines for the major leagues as well, one thing is a constant. The longer these things drag on, the more it ends up costing because of rising inflation, cost hikes etc over that time period of debate. The school district took over Joe Albi years ago with the intention of improving it as opposed to doing all the individual school stadiums. Since then... nothing. All that has happened is the facility has degraded more and gone largely unused because of the high cost of rental (which makes no sense considering its lack of use). Honestly... why is the district (and/or its schools) paying / using SFCC and Merkel so much for soccer when it operates Joe Albi? And now that construction is back booming, it will no doubt cost more than when they could have taken advantage of a down economy.

Sidenote on the Pro Soccer News

Oh, and for those of you who saw the pro soccer news stories, here's a quick look at the person - Howard Cornfield - mentioned as the outsider who would be potentially adding the pro team. Not totally sure the the validity of this coming to fruition as the only remaining possible league (United Soccer League) would have to be willing to work with him (a former rival with checkered past) to start a new franchise as US Soccer has not and would not allow an American team to play in a Canadian league despite what is portrayed by him in the original story by the Spokesman.

Cornfield was a lightning rod for controversy for a San Antonio side that was part of the failure of the North American Soccer League, taking over the club over its last few years and allowing it fail in a Toyota Field stadium the original team owner/founder built and owned. After just a few years the stadium and adjoining complex were sold to the city and the team was replaced by a side in a rival league.

Cornfield created drama seemingly out of thin air:
https://blog.mysanantonio.com/scorpions/2014/04/cornfield-rips-minnesota-united-president-in-advance-of-opener/
http://www.startribune.com/san-antonio-team-s-president-insults-united-president-nick-rogers-in-letter/254285221/

He also alienated the fans:
https://www.change.org/p/remove-howard-cornfield-from-san-antonio-scorpions-fc
http://crocketteers.com/2016/05/10/spurs-safc-and-the-culture-of-san-antonio/

And there was controversy with area youth soccer:
https://www.expressnews.com/sports/scorpions/article/Controversy-ignites-around-local-youth-soccer-6281730.php

It would be a shame for the city, management and voters to make decisions on something not fully vetted... and this was just from a quick Google search.

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Editorial Note: For transparency's sake, it should be noted that I (Gerald Barnhart) am also employed by the Spokane Shadow and manage the First Teams during the summer. These thoughts above are solely mine and do not represent the thoughts of the club. Oh yea, I also do live near Albi so my INWsn HS coverage is easier, but I didn't really take that into account ;-)

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