Good afternoon everyone,
I am writing to you about an important opportunity we in the Morgan Hill area have before us. MHYSA is a local non-profit organization that facilitates sports opportunities for children in the South Valley community. Our goal is to get "more kids into more sports" and we include nearly sporting organization in Morgan Hill. Our members currently include:
- Morgan Hill Pop Warner Raiders
- Pony Baseball
- South County Basketball Academy (SCBA)
- SPIRIT
- PRIDE
We have repeatedly tried to include Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League, but they continue to decline our invitation to participate. We will continue to invite them to join our alliance of local youth sports groups until they finally give in!
We have been busy working towards our community goals since assuming leadership of MHYSA in November 2008. In the past year we have:
- Developed and posted a Community Sports Calendar
- Begun formation of a BMX and Skate Club
- Distributed $2500 in sports league fees to children in MHUSD
- Created an Advisory Council to ensure community input to the MHYSA Board of Directors
- Initiated co-marketing efforts with MHYSA Members
- Responded to an RFP from the City of Morgan Hill for operation of Outdoor Sports Center (The Soccer Fields) on Condit Rd.
It is the OSC proposal that I am writing to you about.
In response to an RFP sent February 10th to manage and operate the OSC, the City of Morgan Hill received proposals from three organizations including MHYSA. After a comprehensive analysis of all proposals, Morgan Hill Parks and Recreation staff has recommended MHYSA as the vendor of choice to the City Council. Provided we are approved by City Council, we are scheduled to begin operations on July 1st of this year. (We have been and are about to get REALLY busy!) The other bidders include the current operator California Youth Soccer Association (CYSA) and Upper V. Management Group LLC, a business partner of the San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes are no longer interested in operating the facility. Our purpose in pursuing this opportunity is we believe Morgan Hill residents, i.e., our kids deserve to have greater access to and realize the full benefit of this world class facility. Our plans include:
- Opening the fields to local access during the week
- Creating a Home Field Program that gives local youth sports leagues such as OVYSL and the Raiders greater use of the OSC
- Retaining CYSA as Priority User for weekend tournaments and events
- Partnering with local hotels, restaurants and retailers to maximize the opportunity for regional users to spend money in Morgan Hill and enjoy our wonderful community
- Using local businesses to manage the OSC (Landscaping, IT, Security, Janitorial, etc.) to engender community pride and ownership in the OSC
- Ensuring the operational profits are returned to the community through programs that will fund OSC improvements as well sports scholarships and financial aid to get ”More Kids in More Sports”
We are now entering the public participation part of the process and we need your help! There are several things you can do to support our cause:
- Visit our Facebook page and become a fan of our organization - click here
- Recommend our page to your Facebook friends
- Look for a new blog we are beginning to communicate our plans and progress.
- Write a letter of support to the Morgan Hill City Council
- Write a letter of support to the Editor of the Morgan Hill Times (MHYSA and the OSC will be featured in April 20th's paper!)
- Attend the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at City Hall April 20th, Tuesday night at 6:30pm
- Attend the City Council Meeting coming in the next few weeks
We believe that bringing these fields back under local control is an important community issue. Doing so will give us all the opportunity to finally enjoy the full benefits of a valuable community asset. The MHYSA Board has worked very hard over the past two months to give us this opportunity. Your support will ensure our success.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dixon
President
Morgan Hill Youth Sports Alliance, Inc.
408-778-3900
