Introduction of letter by an AYSO parent

On Friday, June 28 a letter was sent out by Fillmore AYSO Regional Commissioner, Arnold Muñoz, urging AYSO families to speak out about their concerns with having to share Two Rivers Park with another youth sports organization at the next city council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. at city hall.

The AYSO soccer program in Fillmore has multiplied throughout the last 45 years, and with almost 700 athletes, AYSO is the largest youth sports organization in the community, and needs a larger park like Two Rivers to accommodate that many players, not only for games, but also practice.

The last few years, AYSO has been submitting their park request application for Two Rivers Park but has only been granted limited access due to the contractual agreements between the city and the Fillmore Raiders organization, which gives them a right to first refusal to practice at Two Rivers Park through October.

This decision has created a difficult situation for many parents and coaches who have multiple children and are having to travel back and forth between parks for practice and has created an abundance of complaints to the AYSO organization. Parents were really hoping that things would change this upcoming season, however, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
AYSO is committed to serving the Fillmore youth and will continue to work on a dialogue with the city about this important topic in hopes of finding a way to best accommodate two great youth sports organizations.

The letter sent by Fillmore AYSO Regional Commissioner, Arnold Muñoz, can be read below:

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AMERICAN YOUTH SOCCER ORGANIZATION
Region 242, Fillmore, CA.
fillmoreayso@gmail.com

AYSO Region 242 Parents, Players, and Volunteers,

This letter is to be as transparent as possible with the players, volunteers, and parents of Region 242 about the challenge we are currently facing, which is preventing us from using Two Rivers Park for practice.
As some of you may know, we always submit our park requests as early as March every year. This year was no different. We requested the park in March and received the approval on April 2. However, on June 12, we received an email from the city of Fillmore stating that:

“Unfortunately, we have encountered an unforeseen scheduling conflict Despite a contract being signed, Fillmore Raiders have precedence for the use of Two Rivers Park, and we have to cancel your contract and create a new one for Shiells and Delores Day Park until mid-October because that’s when Fillmore Raiders move to Shiells Park and AYSO moves to Two Rivers Park.”
This has been a recurring issue every year, despite our multiple requests. We always receive the same treatment.

AYSO is the largest youth sports organization in our community with over 650 players and approximately 70 teams. Raiders Football has 215 players and 6 teams. As our region has grown we no longer fit at Shiells Park. With AYSO having the largest number of players and teams it would be more appropriate for AYSO to utilize Two Rivers Park for practice, and Raiders to use Shiells and Delores Day Park for their practice.

AYSO Region 242 will address this issue at the next City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 6:30pm. We would greatly appreciate community support as we present our concerns to the City Council members. Our families will face the challenge and difficulty of moving multiple children playing in different divisions from park to park, especially the October move from Shiells Park to Two Rivers Park. Utilizing Two Rivers park as one stop park for all of our families for the whole season, alleviates these issues.

Our hope is that we will be able to resolve this issue with the city and that we will be able to provide a quality, world class youth soccer program that enriches children’s lives for the Fillmore community.
Best Regards,

Arnold G. Muñoz Regional Commissioner AYSO Region 242 Fillmore, CA.