Posted on: Friday, July 12, 2002

National Games prove soccer complex value

From the day it opened in September 2000, the Waipi'o soccer complex met with enthusiastic acceptance from Hawai'i's rapidly growing soccer community, even as critics worried that it might become a maintenance headache and a financial liability.

That it's fulfilling its purpose has never been in doubt.

But from the start we worried that the city's propensity to cut corners on park maintenance might lead it to decay and disuse, as teams and players decided not to make a long trip for shabby conditions. Instead, rather the opposite occurred: The city kept the fields in good shape, but the annual maintenance cost soared to $750,000.

But the city's plans to institute a fee structure for regular use, plus the clear success of the complex as a draw to visitors from outside the state, have gone a long way to ease those fears.

This week, we welcome 192 teams from 16 states and a total of perhaps 8,000 visitors, to the National AYSO Games. The World Wide Peace Cup last summer brought about 2,000 people from nine countries. United States Youth Soccer will hold its Region IV tournament at the Waipi'o Soccer Park in 2003, with 256 teams from 13 states.

If this rate of tournaments can be sustained, it's clear that the money they pump into O'ahu's economy will more than make up for the cost to taxpayers.

As long as the soccer community continues to invest its energy and sweat as it has, and as long as the city remains engaged, the Waipi'o soccer complex has proved to be a smart investment.