We’ve heard a consistent refrain from parents across Solano County: families are wasting hours in the car every weekend driving to tournaments and games because we lack regional sports facilities here in Solano. In addition, because there just aren’t enough of these facilities, too many practice games get pushed into early morning or late evening time slots. These games and practices should be about team spirit, not traffic jams. They should be an opportunity to build great teams, empower our local talent, and strengthen our communities—right here in Solano County. 

That’s why we’re forming a community working group to help us solicit input and inform the design of a Solano Sports Complex. The Solano Sports Complex will be a multi-sport facility for youth and adult sports – including facilities for baseball & softball, football, basketball, rugby, soccer, volleyball, tennis, pickleball, gymnastics, swimming, and more. The facilities will be built to host sports camps, leagues, and tournaments both locally (Solano County) and regionally (Northern California). 

The community working group will collaborate closely with a leading consulting firm we have engaged, the Sports Facilities Companies, which has extensive experience in helping to gather community input and drive the design process. The final design of the Solano Sports Complex will be based on the recommendations of the working group and residents of Solano County. The same is true for prioritizing which sports and facilities get built first.

To help fund the early community outreach and design work, we have opened a dedicated bank account with a local bank and funded it with $500,000. These funds can be used by the working group to pay for initial community outreach and early design work. $100,000 of that is available immediately, and the remaining $400,000 will become available as we move into more detailed design studies once the project is approved as part of the East Solano Plan.

With representation from across Solano County and a wide variety of sports, the initial working group includes:

• Eric Chappel, Coach, High School Girls Flag Football, Little League Baseball

• Rebecca Craig, President of Vacaville Swim Club

• Robert Doeland, President of Top Klasse DFC

• Reggie Hubbard, Retired Director, Parks and Recreation Department

• Aaron King, President of Solano Tennis 

• Alex Parrott, Coach, High School Baseball and Pony Baseball

• Celina Perez, Founder of First Chance Vallejo 

• Zach Sullivan, Director of Coaching, Solano Surf Soccer

"I've been coaching tennis in Solano County for 20 years and I think building this new sports complex would be a game changer, which is why I joined the community working group," said Aaron King, president of Solano Tennis. "Playing sports is so important for kids' development, and building character and community."

"I joined the community working group because I think it's vital for kids to have more safe spaces to play and the sports complex could provide so much community enrichment," said Celina Perez, founder of First Chance Vallejo. "I'm looking forward to collaborating with elected officials, community leaders, and the public to build something truly amazing here in Solano County."

"I'm super excited about what this new sports complex could mean for all our young athletes and their parents,” said Robert Doeland, president of Top Klasse DFC. “We'd all love to spend less time in the car and more time on the field. It could be game-changer for our teams and the county.”

"Right now, we just don't have the regional sports facilities we need here in Solano County. Parents and kids are spending hours every week driving to practices and meets - it would be so great to be able to spend time on teamwork and not traffic,” said Rebecca Craig, president of the Vacaville Swim Club. 

“I've been coaching youth athletics for over 16 years in Solano County and I think building this new sports complex would be a home run,” said Eric Chappel, coach, High School Girls Flag Football, Little League Baseball. “I'm looking forward to spending less time on the road and more time on what truly matters - nurturing our young athletes into champions, right here in our own backyard. This facility would be our little slice of heaven".

We’re building this facility for all of Solano County, not just residents of the new East Solano Plan community. The sports complex will be open to all Solano sports teams and the public.

California Forever plans to privately fund the full cost of the complex and will also be responsible for costs associated with ongoing operations and maintenance. The complex will recover these investments through reasonable use and access fees, the same model used by other similar regional facilities. The complex will also be available as a special event venue for all occasions. Whether it's a reception, corporate conference, private event, or festival, the space could potentially be rented to accommodate groups of thousands of attendees. 

The development of the sports complex will happen gradually during the build-out of the new community. Construction will begin at the same time as we break ground on the first homes.

If you’re interested in joining the Solano Sports Complex working group or have ideas you would like to share, please send an email to sports@EastSolanoPlan.com. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the timeline for development?

The development of the Solano Sports Complex will happen gradually during the build-out of the new community. Construction will begin at the same time as when we break ground on the first homes. The working group will also together decide how to prioritize the phasing of development, i.e., which facilities get built first.

What does the $500,000 go toward?

The $500,000 will help pay for initial community outreach and design studies. $100,000 of that is available immediately, and the remaining $400,000 will be available after the East Solano Plan is approved and we move into more detailed design studies.

Are you paying the working group? 

No. Each member has volunteered to participate because they care about youth and adult sports in Solano County, and bringing an amazing facility to the Solano County community.

Would these plans continue if the East Solano plan is not approved in November? 

Building the Solano Sports Complex is expensive and would require tens of millions of dollars of investments. These investments can be made and funded as part of a larger development that includes other sources of revenue, but would not pencil out on a stand-alone basis. Therefore, the Solano Sports Complex can only be built as part of the East Solano Plan.

How much would the project cost in total? Would taxpayers cover operational costs in the long run? 

The sports complex is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, depending on the final design. The project would be built in phases, with first facilities available at the same time as the first homes. The project would be entirely privately funded, and taxpayers would not bear any costs.

How large would this complex be?

The complex will be sized based on community input and feedback from the working group. But we expect it would include enough facilities to host major regional tournaments in the sports that are prioritized by the working group.

Have you already hired a planning and operating firm for this project? 

Yes. The community working group will collaborate closely with a leading consulting firm we have engaged, the Sports Facilities Companies, which has extensive experience in helping to gather community input and drive the design process.

Are there examples of projects like this that have been successful? 

The Great Park Sports Facilities in Irvine, California is one example of a mixed-sport complex that was developed over time to support a variety of activities. The process included collecting community feedback through an ongoing series of public Great Park Development Open House events which were then used to inform the Great Park Framework Plan. 

What teams will have priority access to the complex as their home facilities? How are you deciding this? 

We expect that Solano County teams will get priority. We will work with the working group to decide how to prioritize teams within Solano County, in situations when conflicts arise.

What is the working group responsible for?

The working group will help us solicit input from the community, inform the design of the sports complex, and prioritize the phasing of development. The community working group will collaborate closely with a leading consulting firm, the Sports Facilities Companies, which has extensive experience in the field and will drive the pre-development process and provide advisory services. The final design of the Solano Sports Complex will be based on the recommendations of the working group and residents of Solano County. The same is true for prioritizing which sports and facilities get built first.

How did you pick the working group? 

We started by asking numerous parents and coaches in the community for recommendations. The individuals in the working group are well-regarded leaders in their respective communities. We ensured there was representation from across the county and a wide variety of sports. We also left the majority of the slots in the working group open so that we could work with elected officials, community leaders, and the public to complete the working group.

What will be the economic impact on Solano County?

During construction, the facility will create hundreds of construction jobs. Thereafter, the facility will employ dozens of people in full-time positions in maintenance, operations, and management.

In addition, parents, Solano businesses, and Solano cities have told us that they are frustrated that consumer spending and tax revenue that is generated by youth sports tournaments is not staying here in Solano County. With the Solano Sports Complex, we expect that many of the attendees - both from Solano and from nearby counties – will be eating at Solano restaurants and staying in hotels in existing Solano cities. This spending will be a significant boost to Solano restaurants and hotels, and by extension, to tax revenues of Solano cities from sales and transit occupancy taxes.