Since 1983, Nielsen Field has been a community hub where kids play sports, parents take their turn at the snack shack selling hot dogs and fond memories are made of scoring the winning goal or hitting a home run.
And with 3,000 kids using the space annually for soccer, softball and baseball, the field, located on Will Rodgers Street just north of Westchester Parkway, is well-loved and well-used. It could definitely use a refresh, so the volunteer leaders behind AYSO Region 7 are calling on the community to join them in making the athletic fields better and safer for all youth athletes.
For AYSO Region 7 Commissioner Gregg Deluga, now is the perfect time to launch a fundraising effort for Nielsen West Field. AYSO’s spring season has a record enrollment of nearly 540 budding Lionel Messis and Megan Rapinoes and the wear on the field is increasingly noticeable.
While there are some divots and muddy patches, the spotty grass is what’s really stopping the ball from rolling—literally. The field’s makeup of a mixture of bald spots, good grass and weeds can cause the ball to bounce instead of roll, creating a less than ideal situation when your team makes a great kick and is looking to score a goal. The current field uses reclaimed water from the West Basin, and with the water’s high salt content, grass has difficulty growing and remaining healthy. The good news, however, is that new types of grass have been developed to thrive in this type of environment. Deluga explains that the grass they plan to use is the same one the Rams football team practices on and other professional leagues use. While many ask him about changing out all the grass for artificial turf, that material has numerous drawbacks including being hot to play on and rough on the knees, in addition to being pricey.
“We don’t usually do fundraising for AYSO,” said Deluga who has been the soccer league’s commissioner for the last two years. “We don’t have big donors yet, so we’re looking to make this a real grassroots effort. It’s a huge deal when you have a great community asset like this. If we can get to the point where the field looks great, then it’s a real point of pride for everyone.”
The goal is to raise $85,000, which will be enough to complete phase 1 of the “refresh project. During that phase, Nielsen West Field, used primarily by AYSO Region 7 (open to players from Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Marina del Rey, Lennox and Inglewood) and Westchester Little League, would be leveled and resodded. The hope is that the project would gain enough donors and momentum to move on to phase 2 where the entirety of Nielsen Field would be upgraded for all youth athletes’ benefit.
“The kids should all have a decent field to play on,” said Deluga. “It’s not fair for the kids who have been playing for a long time to finally make it to the big field and then have the ball bounce all over the place. It would be nice if the field was flat.”
Deluga says running a youth sports league like AYSO is already a team effort—everything is run by volunteers who take out the trash, mow the lawns and do maintenance wherever it is needed—so he’s confident the neighborhood will come together to support making improvements to the field where so many families spend weekend after weekend, year after year. The community rallied in a similar fashion in 2005, when Nielsen needed its dirt parking lot paved. If enough money is raised, the plan is to start work this summer in the off season, so that in the fall the Carl Nielsen Youth Park will be well on
its way to its glory days. The updates may even spark some additional improvements. A controlled access gate with a security system, murals, updated signage and a cleat-cleaning station are all on a wish list of projects that volunteers would love to see.
“We get out here, and do what we can,” said Deluga. “You just have to get out on the field and volunteer to get things done.”
Interested in supporting AYSO Region 7 and the Youth Foundation’s goal to refresh Nielsen Field?
Consider becoming a Supporter at the $1 to $999 level; a Silver Sponsor at the $1,000 to $1,999 level; or a Gold Sponsor at the $2,000 to $5,000 level. Organizers are also hoping to find a $25,000 title sponsor, who will receive naming rights for Nielsen West Field.
Email refreshnielsen@gmail.com or click the HERE to learn more.
Posted March 2022.