Giant Soccer Complex At Los Alamos Hills Sports Park Gets OK'd

MURRIETA, CA — Murrieta City Council members gave a unanimous green light this week to a multi-million-dollar soccer facility at Los Alamos Hills Sports Park.

The conceptual project approved Tuesday night by the council includes the construction of a minimum of six new soccer fields with a possible seventh field; ancillary structures such as a rehab/training building; restrooms; maintenance buildings; and parking facilities.

The estimated project cost is $10 million. The city will use a portion of its bonding capacity to finance construction, while the Murrieta Soccer Academy will pay all the associated principal and interest payments.

Murrieta Soccer Academy will maintain and operate the new complex under contract with the city, which has yet to be finalized. If Murrieta Soccer Academy defaults on its financial obligations, the city would be responsible.

The city retains ownership of Los Alamos Hills Sports Park, 37000 Ruth Ellen Way.

The new soccer fields will accommodate the growth of Murrieta Soccer Academy and provide the city with "additional recreational capacity that it lacks," according to city staff.

Murrieta Soccer Academy president Rob Hawkes told the councilmembers on Tuesday that the new facility will become the "hub of premier soccer" in the area.

The academy represents more than 700 youth soccer players, some of whom are at an elite level, Hawkes said.

Once the project is completed, it is expected that soccer tournaments now held at the Galway Downs Soccer Complex on S. Highway 79 would move to Murrieta.

City Councilmember Jonathan Ingram said the project will bring increased revenue to the city from visitors who will eat, shop and stay during tournaments.

It's an "economic powerhouse," City Councilmember Lori Stone said.

The impact on local residents who live near the park must be hammered out, including increased motor vehicle traffic, the councilmembers said.

Since 2017, the Murrieta Soccer Academy, formerly known as the Murrieta Youth Soccer League, has been in talks with the city about building a multi-million-dollar soccer complex at the park that would include a stadium, fields and other facilities.

At one point, the cost to build the complex was estimated at over $57 million.

The approved conceptual plan represents a significant reduction in both facilities and cost.