Murrieta's Giant Soccer Project Gets Renewed Discussion

MURRIETA, CA — Murrieta City Council members are again set to discuss a multi-million-dollar project that would bring a minimum of six soccer fields and related facilities to Los Alamos Hills Sports Park located at 37000 Ruth Ellen Way.

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 between $57 million and $77 million — considerably more than planned.

The proposal was scaled back over the years, and the revised conceptual project now 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, according to city documents.

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

Murrieta Soccer Academy would maintain and operate the new complex under contract with the city.

Now that a tentative agreement on the scope of the complex has been reached, city staff is seeking the conceptual approval of the project during Tuesday night's regularly scheduled City Council meeting.

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.

The Dec. 7 City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m., 1 Town Square. The meeting can also be live-streamed at http://onbase.murrietaca.gov/onbaseagendaonline. Read the full meeting agenda here.

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