In a town where soccer already thrives, Woodburn is dribbling closer to leveling up with a new youth soccer complex.

After months of negotiations, the Woodburn School District has reached a tentative agreement with the Oregon Youth Soccer Association to lease a portion of district-owned land on Parr Road, behind Valor Middle School, for the construction, operation and maintenance of a new sports complex.

“It’s a really state-of-the-art facility that I’m really proud to bring to Woodburn,” Woodburn School District Superintendent Juan Larios said as he announced the agreement at the June 24 board meeting. “I think it’s going to be a lot of pride for our schools and for our community to provide our students with enhanced athletic facilities and provide us with an opportunity to continue to grow our community engagement.”

The complex

This project plans to bring up to six weather-resistant artificial turf fields to Woodburn, and while they will primarily be used for soccer, some will also feature configurations suitable for football and lacrosse.

All fields will be equipped with LED lighting, allowing play to continue after dark. Additionally, a covered or fully enclosed indoor area will be available for year-round training and futsal. Bleachers and shaded viewing areas will be constructed for spectators, and parking expansions and infrastructure will be improved to accommodate larger events at the complex.

Creating a new soccer hub

OYSA’s goal with the project is to make Woodburn a permanent home for league games, tournaments and development programs while mutually benefiting the city by allowing the district and local community to access the complex.

Currently, OYSA’s hub is located at Delta Park in Portland. However, according to the soccer association, the space is becoming overcrowded and has geographical limitations, specifically for people coming from the Woodburn area. OYSA aims to establish a more central hub by expanding to Woodburn.

According to the planning documents, the Woodburn School District will have reserved access to the fields during daytime school hours for physical education, athletics and other activities. High school sports teams will also have priority during these times.

 

In return, OYSA will use the fields on weekday evenings for league practices and trainings and throughout weekends for youth training, league play and tournaments. The organization will also host player development programs, coaching clinics and referee training sessions at the complex.

OYSA will manage all field scheduling and field maintenance and also work to ensure space is available for local community leagues and renters outside of WSD hoping to utilize the field.

Timeline and funding

Now that an agreement has been reached between the two groups, the next step in the project is for OYSA to secure funding.

The total estimated cost for this project is $12.2 million, which will be covered entirely by OYSA funding. OYSA is working with COGEO, a Portland-based fundraising firm, to secure these funds through major gifts, local, state, federal and private grants and corporate sponsorships.

Once the complex is built, the soccer association also plans to generate revenue through field rentals, tournaments and soccer camp fees, concessions and event parking to fund long-term maintenance.

Depending on fundraising success, construction is expected to occur in phases over 2-4 years. The Woodburn School District and OYSA will soon form a joint committee to oversee the next phase of development.

According to the planning documents, while the full vision includes six fields and a covered training area, initial construction could begin with just two fields and then scale up as fundraising allows.

Both agencies have stated that the joint committee will include space for community feedback and engagement throughout the next steps of the process.