Santa Clara County and San Jose Earthquakes Plan to Partner with City of San Jose to Build State-Of-The-Art Public Soccer Fields & Quakes Training Facility

December 6, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – San Jose Earthquakes News Release

SANTA CLARA COUNTY – Flanked by San Jose Earthquakes executives, soccer players and City of San Jose leaders, Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez unveiled a major signed agreement allowing Santa Clara County and the San Jose Earthquakes organization to partner with the City of San Jose to develop four public, lighted, world-class turf soccer fields on the County’s Fairground property.

“The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds belongs to the public. This is a great way for our youth to have access to outstanding soccer fields year-round for generations to come,” said Chavez, who has worked on developing the SCC Fairgrounds property for many years and represents the area. “This is an historic achievement for our community and signifies the start of many more projects that will benefit our residents.”

In total, Santa Clara County plans to lease 30 acres of its undeveloped Fairgrounds property near Umbarger and Monterey Roads to the Earthquakes. In addition to the public soccer fields on 16 acres, the Quakes plan to lease approximately 14 acres for the club’s new practice and training facility, which includes four more professional quality soccer fields. In all, the project entails the construction of eight total fields.

“Thank you to Santa Clara County and the City of San Jose for partnering with the San Jose Earthquakes to build world-class fields for our community and a premier training facility for our club,” said Earthquakes president Jared Shawlee. “We believe that this public-private partnership can serve as a model for connecting pro athletes to their communities while also creating greater access to safe playing spaces for children.”

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan attended the major announcement with Councilmembers Dev Davis, Bien Doan, Peter Ortiz and Omar Torres.

“We’re excited to begin working with the County and the San Jose Earthquakes to develop a state-of-the-art soccer facility on a portion of the underutilized land at the fairgrounds,” said Mahan. “Once completed, this site will not only serve the pros, but act as a regional destination for youth soccer teams and residents alike.”

The approximately 35,000-square-foot professional training and practice center will house the Earthquakes’ pro teams and all youth teams within the Earthquakes Academy. The club’s training building will consist of locker rooms, a weight room, dining hall, theatre, medical treatment…