Toyota Sports Complex Raking in the Revenue

Recently released revenue figures from City Hall show that the Toyota Sports Complex generated $373,681 in field rental fees during its first year of operation. That number is well above the maximum projected revenue of $296K city staff had forecasted back in February 2014. Those revenue figures are offset, somewhat, by yearly maintenance costs of $220K budgeted by the City.  Still, the better than forecasted revenues must be a welcome sight for a City suffering from significant revenue hits of as much as $700K a month due to the ExxonMobil explosion and resultant shutdown of the local refinery.

In addition to revenue, the field provides other more difficult to measure benefits to the City. During his campaign for mayor, for example, then Councilmember Furey expressed hope that the fields would help Torrance become the “Williamsport” of youth soccer. Though Torrance has yet to rise to that level, the complex does attract many people from outside the city for practices and tournaments. The hope is that those people frequent Torrance businesses thereby contributing to the health of the local economy and sales tax revenue.

The completion of the sports complex was championed by longtime AYSO volunteer and former mayor Frank Scotto and was perhaps one of the signature accomplishments of his tenure. It cost upwards of $3.5 Million to build and represents a significant investment from the community.

Toyota Sports Complex Donor Wall

Some community partners helped reduce the taxpayer burden that came with the hefty price tag by contributing to the cause. Just prior to announcing they were leaving town, for example, Toyota gave $500K for the naming rights to the facility. Other entities also contributed just over $100K in total to have their names represented on the donor wall. Of those, direct beneficiaries LA Galaxy and FRAM Soccer pitched in $10K a piece while Beach Futbol added $5K. Continental Development, ExxonMobil, Ferrari, Surf Management, Alcoa Fastening Systems, and Gerber Ambulance were among the others giving at least $5K.

The revenue boon is largely due to a small handful of organizations that have found a home at the complex. The current schedule for May-July 2015 shows that the soccer fields will primarily be used by only four organizations – LA Galaxy of the South Bay (which also operates an indoor soccer facility across the street), Beach Futbol Club, FRAM Soccer Club, and the LA Wolves. LA Galaxy, Beach Futbol, and FRAM Soccer each have the complex booked for approximately 10 hours a week, while the LA wolves, a local professional team, uses the field for about 4 hours a week.

Despite the better than expected revenue, the future operation of the Complex is not without its challenges for City officials. Based on the current bookings, it would appear that the facility is at risk of becoming the exclusive haven of expensive and selective club organizations like Beach Futbol and FRAM soccer that draw customers from the entire South Bay region. Should that occur, it might leave out Torrance based AYSO regions that primarily serve Torrance youth.

AYSO did utilize the fields during the past Fall and Winter seasons, but their continued participation is uncertain due to AYSO’s ability to afford the rental fee of $75 per hour (plus $15 per hour lighting fee) per field. Unlike club teams, the all-volunteer based AYSO, with their mantra of “everyone plays” is open to anyone and strives to keep costs low to enable more participation. Going forward, the City may have to balance greater revenues versus the desire to accommodate more locally based non-profits like AYSO that typically serve more Torrance residents.

The long term future of the facility is also still in question as the City leases the site from the Administrative Office of the Courts. That organization has a right to terminate the lease after 5 years from when the parties entered into the agreement.