| Torrance soccer center up for vote tonight
Torrance could become home to one of the largest indoor soccer centers in the region if plans for a 73,00-square-foot project are approved tonight by the Planning Commission. South Coast Soccer City would include seven fields, locker rooms, a 4,400-square-foot training area, rehabilitation area and a 60-yard-long running track. There would be four party rooms for private birthday celebrations, a homework area, television and lounge area, a snack shop and a pro shop. Kevin Gilmore, one of the founders, said he and his business partner came up with the idea because they both have children who play without many places to practice. .
NYer Of The Week: Soccer Coach Helps The Homeless Score New Goals
The latest New Yorker of the Week is a former professional soccer player who is leveling the playing field by coaching for a team of homeless players. NY1's Rita Nissan filed the following report. Lawrence Cann coaches at the indoor soccer fields at Chelsea Piers. His players on the Street Soccer NYC team are quick, communicate well and score goals. But they are also homeless or formerly homeless. "For a lot of our folks who are traumatized and who have grown up with a lot of static and a lot of abuse, learning to manage [themselves] on a sports field is a great practical application to their lives," says Cann. Cann, a former professional soccer player, founded Street Soccer USA five years ago with the help of HELP USA, and now has teams in 16 cities across the country.
Torrance approves indoor soccer facility
An ambitious state of the art indoor soccer facility has won planning approval from the city of Torrance. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the 73,000-square-foot facility at its Wednesday night meeting. Proposed for a former shipping facility on Maple Avenue, South Coast Soccer City, as it is called, includes seven indoor soccer fields. The facility will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. If all goes according to plan, it will open this fall. Its backers had proposed remaining open until midnight, but the commission reduced its operating hours by one hour. No members of the public voiced opposition to the project, which will become the first of its kind in the South Bay. South Coast Soccer City is seen as providing another alternative for teams that often have difficulty finding a place to play on the area's overloaded fields.
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