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Soccer is huge in Idaho, among kids and adults.
Even the Portland Timbers professional soccer team in Major League Soccer appreciates the soccer talent in Idaho. The Timbers have claimed Idaho as its development territory for potential players and in May 2016 affiliated themselves with youth soccer associations in Boise (Boise Nationals Timbers) and Coeur d’Alene (Sting Timbers FC).
Some 9,000 youths play organized soccer in the Treasure Valley, with 16,000 playing statewide. Adults have about 6,000 players in affiliated and unaffiliated leagues with leagues affiliated with Idaho State Soccer Association active in Boise, Twin Falls, Wendell, Gooding, Caldwell, Idaho Falls and Coeur d’Alene.
Yet playing the game, let alone soccer practice, is largely an improvised pursuit.
The 20–field Simplot Sports Complex and 10–field Optimist Youth Sports Complex in Boise is for youth soccer games only. No practice allowed. No adult soccer allowed. There is also the 20-field Nova FC Soccer Complex in Meridian for youth soccer.
“Our biggest need right now are practice fields,” said Doug Holloway, director of Boise Parks and Recreation. “There aren’t enough spaces for all the practice needs for all of the club teams. At Ann Morrison there’s no room available to practice. It’s wall-to-wall kids playing soccer.”
Holloway noted the eight Ann Morrison soccer fields also double for lacrosse and ultimate Frisbee.
Soccer organizations clamor for more soccer facilities. Nothing is on the immediate horizon in the Treasure Valley.
Coeur d’Alene, however, is on the verge of building the first indoor soccer facility in Idaho – also the only new soccer facility in the works across the state right now, said Craig Warner, executive director of Idaho Youth Soccer Association.
Sting Timbers FC, the largest youth soccer organization in north Idaho, is leasing 9.9 acres on an unincorporated patch across the street from Hayden in one direction, Coeur d’Alene in another direction and within the Post Falls area of impact.
“It’s right in the middle of the valley,” said Mike Thompson, technical director at Sting Timbers FC, which has 430 youth players and 31 teams.
The property came with a three-bedroom house that Sting Timbers converted into the league office in March 2017.
The plan is to build a 12,000- to 13,000-square-foot structure for a reduced size soccer field of about 60-by-20 yards. along with three full-size outdoor artificial turf soccer fields at 120 yards long and 75 to 80 yards wide.
“We’re looking at this as a community facility open to any and all sports,” Thompson said. “We will use the majority of it for soccer, but we will carve out time where we have it available to the community (for lacrosse or football).”
Targeting the larger community assists in raising the $1.5 million to building the complex. Thompson said the “Field for All Seasons” campaign is close to reaching the $250,000 deposit, which enables the organization to start the permitting process. He figures permitting would start in December or January.
He said so far the Coeur d’Alene Tribe is the major donor and the indoor complex will bear the tribe name.
John Eixenberger of Coeur d’Alene is the architect. Mongan Construction Services of Coeur d’Alene is the general contractor, an Steel Structures of America in Post Falls is supplying the steel structure.
The structure would have a garage door at one end, restrooms, and a viewing area for spectators.
North Idaho soccer moves indoors from the start of November to March, competing with volleyball, and basketball for space at gyms, fairgrounds and churches. This, obviously, is hardwood or concrete practice. The indoor soccer facility would give soccer players an actual soccer field in winter.
“It just allows more kids to do something year-round that they doing in a soccer-specific facility,” Thompson said.
Treasure Valley dreams of more soccer fields
Boise Parks and Recreation has 48 soccer fields for youth and adult soccer, all abundantly used by thousands of soccer enthusiasts of all ages.
Don’t expect more soccer fields in Boise any time soon.
Boise Parks and Rec and the Idaho State Soccer Association see one partial solution: the undeveloped 157-acre Murgoitio Park site south of Victory and Maple Grove roads.
Those are the only planned soccer fields in Parks and Rec master plan, but developing the park is uncertain. The property is outside the city limits, which are a half mile away. Murgoitio can be built only when the city limits reach the property, Holloway said.
Adult soccer relies on the 18 Boise Parks and Recreations fields at Ann Morrison, Fairmont, Ivywild, Molenaar, Sunset, Winstead, Willow Lane and Shoshone parks.
“Southern Idaho Soccer League has 70 teams but could field 30 more teams if more fields were available,” said Paul Scherer, president of Idaho State Soccer Association, the adult soccer association. “The dream scenario would be to have 20 more fields but we could deal with 12.”
Even more youth soccer is going on.
“On any given Saturday, there are 150 games,” said Craig Warner, executive director of Idaho Youth Soccer Association.
An alternative to marked soccer fields is large enough open spaces in parks where soccer practices can take place.
Pine Grove and Magnolia parks, both under construction, and Sterling and Franklin parks, construction starting in March on both, all have open space suitable for soccer, Holloway said.
Bill Taylor, president of Idaho Youth Soccer Association, has his eye on Sterling and Franklin.
“Yup, for sure,” Taylor said. “They will all be utilized as soon as they are available.”
Taylor, also a soccer coach, maintains the grass behind Rocky Mountain High School for his team to use. He mentioned another church site that is used for soccer practice that feels like a “third world” site.
Some residential developments have incorporated large greenspace capable to field soccer. Brighton Corp. has large green spaces in several developments, and developer Tim Eck is building three dedicated soccer field for different age groups into his Fallbrook development in Star.
The soccer community is aware of the Star development.
“If you have a field with two goals, I guarantee you within a week there will be kids kicking a soccer ball,” said Craig Warner, executive director of Idaho Youth Sports Association. “Any development with a soccer field spreads the wealth. It gives people a place to practice and play. There’s always a fight for where to play.”
One soccer field takes up two acres.
“It makes more sense to upgrade and refurbish Simplot than build a new soccer complex,” said Taylor, who offered an alternative to a formal soccer complex: “May it really cheap, do a turf farm, 60 acres. You have two or three at 20 acres, where people can train.”
Then Taylor brought up the true obstacle to adding soccer facilities in the Treasure Valley: “But it’s not realistic because of the cost of land.
Adult soccer relies on Boise Parks and Rec fields, though the Southern Idaho Soccer League did give Parks and Rec $126,000 to build three soccer fields at Molenaar Park .
“I don’t have a rich uncle and we don’t seem to have anyone else who does either,” Scherer said about the prospects of adult soccer organizations building their own soccer complex.
