Talk about leveling the playing field.
After nearly seven months of work to its foundation and surface to make it more even and improve drainage, Allen Field in La Jolla Shores is nearly ready for a full reopening.
Located at 3908 Torrey Pines Road, the field has been closed since the start of the year while the La Jolla Youth Soccer League — which leases the space from the city of San Diego and maintains it — has been resurfacing the playing field by smoothing out the foundation, removing some berms, replacing the grass with more than $200,000 worth of sod, moving some fences and relocating the storage shed.
While some soccer practices and related activities have taken place at the field recently, it is still largely closed. It is expected to reopen next month.
La Jolla Youth Soccer president Fred Borrelli, who has been involved with the organization for 35 years, said the repairs have been a long time coming.
He explained that when the field was being established in the late 1970s, the original founders didn’t have the funds to build a proper foundation, so makeshift measures like berms and grass were put in place to get the field ready.
Since then, the Allen Field has welcomed thousands of players a year, some in recreation leagues and spring leagues and others in more competitive leagues. The field also hosts tournaments.
“There will be 1,000 kids there on a Sunday in the fall,” Borrelli said.
Thus, in recent years, Borelli sought to create a buffer zone in case of a nearby fire and to make other improvements to the site. But that required coordination with the city and UC San Diego, which owns some of the west side of the property, to determine the area that could be renovated.
Once property lines were confirmed, La Jolla Youth Soccer got to work at the start of the year moving berms and dirt.
“Through careful grading of the hillsides along the west and south boundaries, we have successfully added approximately 29,000 square feet of new playable field space. This expansion will allow us to better serve our players and accommodate continued growth in our programs,” Borrelli wrote in a letter to supporters.
“In addition to expanding the field, we are making substantial surface improvements on the south side,” the letter continues. “This includes laser grading the entire area, installing new sod and implementing a modern drainage system. These upgrades will greatly improve field conditions, especially during rainy periods, and help reduce downtime due to weather-related closures.”
All said, approximately $700,000 worth of work was done to the field, with money from La Jolla Youth Soccer maintenance funds that have accrued over the last decade or so.
Currently, the new grass is settling so it can be played upon. Immediate next steps, Borrelli said, are to move some fencing and bring in temporary fencing. At that point, the field will be reopened.
Noting that with this larger renovation nearing completion, smaller maintenance tasks in the future will be easier and cheaper to complete.
Going forward, his letter stated, “We are also collaborating with the city of San Diego and Parks & Recreation department on longer-term facility enhancements. We are currently in the early stages of architectural planning, with proposed improvements that include: An expanded parking area; connection to the city sewer system, enabling the addition of permanent restroom facilities; a new two-story clubhouse with a smaller footprint.”
Named for founding donor La Jolla Realtor Willis Allen, Sr., the site was originally earmarked for a new playhouse/theater complex to be run jointly by the city and UCSD. However, in 1976, some of the early founders persuaded the city to make the site available for lease as a soccer field.
During the course of the next five years, several local families and organizations negotiated with the city and raised the money to develop the site. The field was completed in 1981.
Donations to the program and the field can be made through lajollasoccer.org.