Quakes to create training field at Airport West site
By Jay Hipps · January 28, 2010
It’s not a stadium, but it’s a start. The Earthquakes will be announcing shortly the construction of a training field on the Airport West site, the property that is under option to team owner Lew Wolff for a new soccer stadium along with a large development featuring office and retail space and two hotels.
David Alioto, the team’s executive vice president, told Center Line Soccer that “it’s going to be an MLS-quality field, basically a replica of what we have in Santa Clara (at Buck Shaw Stadium).”
Alioto said that the new field marks an important milestone for the Earthquakes. “The team has never had their own practice facility, ever. This gives our players a practice field 24/7 and will also be important as we work towards launching an academy.”
The new facility, which many see as a further commitment on the part of the team’s ownership towards the eventual construction of the stadium, will be fenced. A parking lot for players will also be constructed adjacent to the new field. It is also possible that the site may eventually see additional public fields constructed as part of San Jose’s Measure P, a parks-oriented bond initiative that was passed by voters in 2000.
The Earthquakes have also recently signed a lease which will double the size of their office space, thereby allowing the coaching staff to move out of their cramped facilities adjacent to the team locker room.
Elliott Almond’s Mercury News story reports the total cost of the new practice pitch at $1.2 million.
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Elliott scooped you?! Dudes, off your game. — This is great news. Do we know if there will be lockers rooms? and a weight room? next to the practice field? And a video room for reviewing game film? and maybe a place for the guys to eat? Real professional practice facilities have a lot of features. So far, all we’re hearing is a field and a fence around it. Yum!
No locker rooms and the like, no — they’ll still be using the existing facilities at Santa Clara for that. All those components will be built into the stadium, and I was told that they didn’t see much point in building all those things now if they would just be torn down later, after the stadium is constructed.
What they should do is skip the expense of a parking lot and have the players park at their office complex HQ. They could have a charter bus move the players back and forth. No point in having the players suit up, sweat and then get in their cars to drive back to Santa Clara University for showers. I am sure it would be nice to jump into a pre-air-conditioned waiting for them right after practice, especially in the summer time. But what do i know… I thought Shea Salinas was a player to hang on to…
All these baby steps and ambiguous business dealings with the City are just weird - coupled with J. Doyle and F. Yallop at the helms, I see another dismal 2010 season for the Quakes. I love soccer, and I want the Quakes to succeed, but I just don’t see the progress in this team as we see with other MLS teams. Why is that?
when are preseason games starting?