VIRGINIA BEACH – The City Council this week approved a youth local soccer league’s plans to build its first indoor facility.
Beach FC plans to build a nearly 23,500-square-foot soccer complex with two indoor fields, office space, locker rooms, an executive board room and a mezzanine viewing area, according to city planning documents. The club, which has nearly 3,200 players aged between 3 and 18 playing on its teams, has previously leased space and never owned its own spot.
The facility will be built near the intersection of Buckner Boulevard and Holland Road. It will be used primarily on weekends and evenings in poor-weather months, though some training may occur during the summer, according to the documents. The playing surfaces inside will be smaller than a normal soccer pitch and will be suitable for futsol, a version of five-a-side football played indoors with a smaller and less-bouncy ball that is popular in Brazil.
The nonprofit sports club currently uses fields at Bishop Sullivan Catholic High School, the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex, the Princess Anne Athletic Complex, Red Wing Park, Virginia Wesleyan College, Williams Farm Park and Wyndamere Park, according to its website.
The Planning Commission approved the plans late last year, but the City Council deferred the proposal in early February after concerns were raised about stormwater. Those concerns were addressed, according to the documents.
