Futsal Court Expansion in Natomas Starts Today

News of the futsal court expansion was announced last week at Northgate Park during which coach and Azteca FC founder Rose Shoen was honored by Sacramento Republic FC. / Photo Nancy Kong-Vasquez for NatomasBuzz.com

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

The existing futsal court in Northgate Park was opened in 2013. / Photo by Nancy Kong-Vasquez for NatomasBuzz.com

Construction to expand the futsal court at Northgate Park in South Natomas is scheduled to start today.

Plans for the project were unveiled during a press event held last week at the park featuring Vice Mayor Jeff Harris, who represents South Natomas on the Sacramento City Council, along with representatives from Sacramento Republic FC, Azteca FC and the Carrillo family.

Coach and Azteca FC Founder Rose Shoen, who championed the refurbishment of the tennis court with local leaders, was honored by Sacramento Republic FC.

The project will resurface and convert an unused tennis court into a second futsal court.

Futsal is a ball sport similar to soccer which is played on a hard court between two teams of five players each, one of whom is the goalkeeper.

Work on the second futsal court at Carrillo Courts is expected to be completed by Oct. 28. / Photo by Nancy Kong-Vasquez for NatomasBuzz.com

According to Parks and Community Enrichment Commissioner David Guerrero, the idea for a futsal court in Natomas dates back to 2013 as part of city updates to Northgate Park.

At the time, half of the existing tennis court was converted into a futsal court and named Carrillo Courts, in memory of longtime, local soccer coach Art Carrillo.

Seven years later, the second tennis court is also being converted into a futsal court. Work on the project is expected to take about two weeks with the new court opening as early as Oct. 28. The project is being funded in large part by the Sacramento Republic FC in partnership with Bank of America.

According to the results from a recent digital survey by city Councilmember Jeff Harris’ office, 90% of those who responded were in favor of  expanding Carrillo Courts and converting the tennis court into a futsal court.

While the conversion project will eliminate the only public tennis courts available in South Natomas, a representative from Harris’ office said the city is working to create a joint use agreement with the Natomas Unified School District. If approved, the agreement would allow for public use of the tennis courts located at Natomas High School.

Carrillo Courts is currently the only futsal court open in the Sacramento city park system. Northgate Park is located at 2825 Mendel Way.

The City of Sacramento is asking residents to provide their thoughts on a plan that will outline how parks and related services will grow over the next 20 years. Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment is asking residents to take an online survey, called a “Maptionnaire,” which is a map-based survey tool that allows people to share their opinions about parks and programs within various Sacramento neighborhoods. The survey is available in English, Hmong, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese. The Maptionnaire is available here.