Area golfers and the Bears escape winter by practicing in inflatable domes, and now an Arlington Heights soccer coach wants to put his players under the bubble too.
The Arlington Heights Park District Board of Commissioners Wednesday night fielded a proposal for an inflatable soccer dome from John Gleason, a 12-year coach in the Arlington Heights Aces youth soccer program and president of Next Level Soccer Inc. of Arlington Heights.
Gleason said 13 Aces coaches are willing to provide a down payment on a lease of Park District land to house the air-supported, temporary dome, which must be placed on a flat, paved surface.
Gleason is proposing a dome that would hold two side-by-side fields of 95-by-65 feet–each about the size of an NBA basketball court.
During winter the youth teams would play “small-sided” indoor soccer with four or five players per team.
“The benefits of this game is there is a lot more action, it builds skills more quickly and the players are more involved,” Gleason said.
“It’s popular in Europe and it’s gaining popularity in the U.S.”
Gleason said Next Level could either lease the land from the Park District and operate a private program or share the cost of the dome. In the latter case, Next Level would provide money to enhance the property holding the dome.
Neither the park board nor Gleason would release the potential locations Next Level is suggesting for the dome, but officials earlier said a district parking lot not used in winter could hold such a facility.
Park officials said they were concerned about the cost.
“Having just lost the referendum [Voters defeated a tax proposal in March.], we are looking at how to reduce expenses and increase revenues,” said park Commissioner Tom Drake. “We would be looking for anything with a quick payback that generates a significant amount of revenue.”
Drake asked Gleason whether Next Level would consider a three-way partnership with the Mt. Prospect Park District to ease the financial burden. Gleason said the company would, but noted he believes the project could proceed without funding from any Park District.
Sandra Fernstrom, park board vice president, said: “We are all filled with a lot more questions. But as mentioned, our belts are being tightened. We need to look at types of activities which would be beneficial with little cost. However, we are amenable with going forward.”
Next Level soccer officials will meet with recreation staff for further negotiations and outline a business plan.
Roger Key, director of recreation and facilities, earlier said that many issues, such as whether an inflatable dome would irk nearby residents, whether village ordinances would allow such a structure and how the financial burden would be shared, have not been researched yet.
The problem of finding more space for soccer is an annual headache for Park Districts, but the Next Level approach appears to be a new twist for the northwest suburbs.
Although Hoffman Estates has an inflatable dome for golfers, inflatable indoor soccer fields have not found a site in the northwest suburbs.
But the idea is enticing, said Drew Steinhoff, soccer coordinator at the Hoffman Estates Park District.
“If we had one, I’m sure we could sell it,” Steinhoff said. “Soccer is just big money right now.”
