California Forever proposes sports complex – The Vacaville Reporter

A rendering provided by California Forever of what the planned sports complex could look like.

California Forever has announced plans to develop a community sports complex that will include facilities for baseball and softball, football, basketball, rugby, soccer, volleyball, tennis, pickleball, gymnastics, swimming and more.

Officials say the facility will be designed to have the capacity to host local and regional tournaments in multiple sports, and will incorporate input from a panel of Solano County youth sports coaches.

The company has committed $500,000 to the project – $100,000 is already available before the project is approved. The final project is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. A company press release states that the plant will not be built if the East Solano Plan is not approved.

“These investments can be made and financed as part of a larger development that includes other revenue streams, but they would not be viable on their own,” the press release states. “Therefore, the Solano Sports Complex can only be built as part of the East Solano Plan.”

Eric Chappell, head flag football coach at Vacaville High School, and Reggie Hubbard, former director of recreational facilities at Vacaville, were both appointed to the advisory committee, as was Aaron King, president of Solano Tennis. The task force members are all volunteers and receive no money for their work, the release said.

“I have been a tennis coach in Solano County for 20 years and I believe that building this new sports complex would be a game changer. That's why I joined the community task force,” King said. “Playing sports is so important for children's development and for building character and community.”

Celina Perez, founder of First Chance Vallejo, is also a member of the working group.

“I joined the community working group because I believe it is important for children to have more safe places to play, and the sports complex could be a great asset to the community,” Perez said. “I look forward to working with elected officials, community leaders and the public to build something truly great here in Solano County.”

The company said it recognized a need in the community for such facilities to help Solano County families stay closer to home.

“We have heard the same phrase over and over again from parents across Solano County: Families waste hours in the car every weekend traveling to tournaments and games because of the lack of regional sports facilities here in Solano,” the company said in a press release.

Chappell said the facility will be a “little piece of heaven” for youth sports in the county.

California Forever said it will fund the entire cost of the development and will be responsible for “the ongoing costs” incurred by the facility. The organization also hopes to use the venue as a space for special events and expects it could accommodate thousands of people. The development will be phased in parallel with the new community, the release said, and the working group will prioritize the order of construction.

Michael Fortney, director of partnerships, said he has coached youth sports in the region for many years and knows just how difficult it can be for programs to find what they need to succeed in the region.

“I have seen firsthand the stress of finding a facility,” he said.