By Kathy Chouteau
When it came to laying the groundwork for the new Pinole Valley Park East Soccer Field, teamwork made the dream work.
Pinole Mayor Cameron Sasai welcomed the community to a ribbon cutting event for the city’s recently rehabilitated soccer field the morning of Saturday, Feb. 22, which was made possible by a variety of people coming together.
During his remarks Saturday, Mayor Sasai cited the city’s partner in the venture, the West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League (WCCYSL), for its “amazing collaboration” on the project and called it a “big win for the City of Pinole.”
Numerous other individuals received the mayor’s expressions of appreciation ranging from state leadership to Community Services Director Andrea Dwyer to President of the WCCYSL Tyler Darke and local families who advocated for the soccer field.
Darke, who said the club played on the field regularly for years, said they refrained from using it for about a decade after its condition deteriorated. Emphasizing how important a soccer field is to the quality of play—as well as keeping associated costs low for families—Darke said he approached the City of Pinole about funding a project to make the field playable and to create a high-quality surface.
The city and WCCYSL met, and the league donated funds for the project, estimated to have been around $167,000. The project included updates to the field, irrigation system and adding storage facilities.
The soccer league president gave a shout-out to Pinole’s City Council, WCCYSL Coach Roy Stanley, league members/workers and João Nicolau of KJ Demolition Inc, who is the father of two soccer players—for also contributing to the project.
Darke said at the ribbon cutting that being the league’s president is “an incredible honor and an incredible responsibility, but days like this remind me that it’s all worth it.”
The soccer field is located at the end of Wright Avenue in Pinole. WCCYSL will be a priority user for reservations at the field for 10 years, according to the City of Pinole.
