Community kickoff

A new soccer field will bring more than just a place to play for students and the surrounding community.

Santa Ana College students, members of the community and even Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez were recently on hand to celebrate the ground breaking for a new state-of-the-art soccer field, an improvement funded by the last of the Measure E bond, passed by voters in 2002.

Those were boom times. In times of economic hardship we find the major cutbacks of large corporations and tuition hikes at institutions of higher education negatively impacting the community. Building a new field may seem to some like an extravagance, but it is fundamental to this college and community.

Soccer is very popular on campus and in surrounding areas, and if it is not being played here, games are underway on a field elsewhere, usually within shouting distance from each other.

Like other city facilities, Santa Ana College’s soccer field will be available through the civic center permit process, which allows outside groups to use any facility on campus.

“I am always excited to see the local college have more beautiful assets for our students and community to use,” said Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who represents California’s 47th Congressional District.

“It always seems to me that Santa Ana College, in particular, opens its doors and the community meets here,” she added.

New facilities help boost enrollment and make the campus an inviting place within the community.

A more accessible campus sends a positive message to our citizens and also creates positive reinforcement for our sports programs.

With 26 conference titles — 18 of which have been won consecutively — under its belt, it seems fitting that the SAC men’s soccer team deserves a quality home field.

“We are definitely looking forward to bringing our program from our other field to a new facility that is going to be really, really nice,” said Jose Vasquez, head coach for the men’s soccer program.

The field is expected to open in April or May 2013, so next summer brings one more reason to feel good about the future of our campus, our community, and our sports programs.