Castro Valley soccer field not up to snuff

Oakland Tribune, Feb 15, 2005 by Ken Silman, STAFF WRITER,

HURRY UP! It can't wait any longer.

Castro Valley High needs new sports facilities in the worst way.

The Castro Valley Sports Foundation has been trying to raise money for nearly three years to refurbish Castro Valley High's football stadium and track, and upgrade the baseball and softball fields.

It is too late for this year's teams, who have obviously suffered due to the lack of quality fields. Next year and the year after that might be out of bounds, too, but the residents of Castro Valley have to act or kids in kindergarten now will be playing on the same lousy fields when they reach high school.

Consider the Castro Valley girls soccer team was scheduled to host San Ramon Valley in the North Coast Section 3-A quarterfinals on Saturday at 7 p.m. How nice it would have been for the HAAL champion Trojans to host a playoff game against a power like San Ramon Valley, but the truth is their stadium is simply unplayable.

The game had to be played at night and the Trojans' football stadium is the only facility on campus with lights. However, the home bleachers are currently under repair and the field is in horrible condition.

As a result, Castro Valley athletic director Marie Gray called NCS on Monday and told them the game would have to be moved. The section agreed to the request, moving the game to San Ramon Valley on Saturday at 5 p.m.

"I worry about the safety of the kids," Gray said. "It is not a suitable place to host a championship event. We need that stadium project to kick in."

Without a doubt.

The cost of the stadium project presented to the school board is $10 million.

Counting state funds, there is reportedly about $2.4 million in an account set aside for the renovations. That leaves a large chunk still missing, but that's where the community, school board and businesses need to step up.

What kind of price tag can you put on a high school student's memory of playing one of the best teams in the country in front of a raucous home crowd? Or the safety of practicing and playing on a broken down field?

Or the cost of an injury and subsequent lawsuit?

Longtime Castro Valley resident and education advocate Dobie Gelles was recently named the new president of the CVSF and hopes the community can continue to push the work that the board has started.

CVSF has raised approximately $300,000, which includes a $100,000 donation from one person.

"This should have been done yesterday," Gelles said. "The high school field is 45-50 years old. You don't wait to do what is right for young people. Schools and fields were not built for adults ... they were built for kids."

Gelles did mention, however, that the fields would benefit the entire community. Adding that new fields and a new track would make it easier for seniors to walk without getting hurt on the campus.

There's another incentive for some Castro Valley residents and businesses, too. Nicer facilities at the high school would upgrade property values in the area.

"Every business and real estate office should want to jump in and help us," Gelles said. "When you come into Castro Valley from neighboring communities and your home is worth $100,000 more, that's because of the schools."

FIT TO BE TIED: The Castro Valley boys soccer team lost just four times in 22 games this season but didn't make the NCS 3-A playoffs.

Before the public outcry begins, the problem wasn't so much with the selection committee's bias or bad choices (which do sometimes come into play), but instead the eight ties the Trojans recorded to go with 10 wins.

The two most costly were the 3-3 game with Hayward on Wednesday and the 0-0 deadlock in the season finale against Arroyo. If Castro Valley (10-4-8) had won either game, it would have won the league and gained an automatic berth.

While the final two league ties were the most costly, the other six — three in the HAAL and three in non-league games — didn't help either.

The Trojans proved they can play with some of the best soccer teams in the East Bay, but didn't show they were better than any of those teams. In the end, that is what cost them a shot to continue their season.

Castro Valley went 6-1-7 against 3-A teams, including a victory over No.5 seed Newark Memorial (19-5-1). The Trojans' lone loss to a 3-A team was against No.9 Monte Vista (15-5-3). Castro Valley tied

No. 7 Cal (14-5-2).

"We know we can play with (all the teams in the playoffs), we just have to finish," Peacock said.

Peacock was frustrated, but he understood how things went they way they did.

Longshot Washington (11-12-2) won the Mission Valley Athletic League playoffs with three gut-wrenching, 1-0 overtime wins over regular-season champion Mission San Jose (twice) and Newark Memorial. That gave the Huskies the 10th and final seed in the NCS playoffs despite a losing record.

If the Trojans had beaten either Arroyo or Hayward, none of that would have mattered.

The Cheap Seats is a weekly column written by staff writer

Ken Silman. The Seats can be reached via e-mail at ksilman@angnewspapers.com, phone: (510) 293-2455