SALINAS — Taylor Farms has committed $1.5 million in grant funding to the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex, kicking off a larger $3 million campaign set up by the Complex called “The Match,” which aims to build eight new soccer fields, as well as supporting infrastructure.
Jonathan De Anda, executive director of the Complex, said with continued expansions like this, the Complex is on track to become the largest facility of its kind between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Already with its 15 soccer fields, the Complex draws an estimated 11,500 guests per week. Registered leagues from Castroville to King City come to play on its fields.
However with eight new fields added, weekly use is projected to exceed 22,000.
“This investment reflects a deep belief in the role community spaces play in shaping health, opportunity and connection for generations,” said Catherine Kobrinsky Evans, vice president of the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex and chair of The Match Campaign, in a prepared statement.
“Taylor Farms has stepped forward with extraordinary leadership, creating a moment for others to come together and help build something,” Evans said.
The Match’s $3 million campaign is a part of a larger $10 million effort to complete phases 2 and 3 of the Complex.
According to a press release from the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex, the goal is to secure funding for the next two phases by the end of this year, with aspirations to complete construction on them by spring 2027.
The Complex has moved steadily toward its goals of expansion recently. Just last month, the Complex received $500,000 in federal funding secured by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.
In addition to helping pay for more fields, the federal funding is to be put toward a 2,000-seat lighted outdoor stadium, a 35,000-square-foot indoor soccer arena, 421 new parking spaces, pedestrian walkways, an onsite irrigation system and environmental protections for the adjacent Gabilan Creek.
Eventually, work on the Complex is estimated to total $45 million, which concludes Phase 4 of its development. Beyond just soccer fields, in the end the Complex also envisions sand volleyball courts, a BMX track, skatepark and a 60,000-square-foot wellness center.
According to Evans, the Complex’s final completion date is largely determined by securing the requisite investment.
“We’re totally ready…it’s just a question of money,” Evans told the Herald in September. “So we’re working really hard to raise that money through every source.”
For more information about the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex and opportunities to support The Match, visit https://salinassoccer.org/the-match/
Chris Hamilton is a California Local News fellow covering Salinas and the Salinas Valley for The Herald.
