FRESNO, Calif. (KMPH) -
A Clovis soccer club is ready to gather up its goal posts and head to Fresno. The Cal Odyssey has never had a soccer field it can call home since it arrived in Clovis ten years ago.
It's been a playing partner with the Clovis Unified School District for the past decade but the Odyssey believes it's time to have its own digs.
Granite Park at Cedar and Ashlan was first a field of dreams that never panned out. Then it was going to be an entertainment center with a big roller coaster. That dream fizzled too.
The California Odyssey shared its proposal with soccer parents Wednesday night at Alta Sierra Middle School. Paul Banda is a longtime soccer parent. "I hope it happens. I hope it's something that comes to fruition really quick. I think it's something that the city needs, something the club needs. I think it's a win win for everybody."
The Odyssey has had much success in just the past five years. It has helped more than 100 of its players receive college scholarships but it's never had a home base. In recent years the Odyssey practiced at Clovis high schools. This year Clovis Unified asked it to share the field at Clovis elementary schools. "Jumping around from field to field is not how you really want to see your club or team go, but we understand it's what we have and we're working with what we have so there's no complaints about it," said Paul Banda.
Clovis Information Officer Kelly Avants explained the situation this way: "Clovis Unified is dedicated to providing field and facility access to our community, and each year juggles thousands of such requests with the needs of our own school programs. Because of an increasing number of such requests in the fall sports season, there was movement of some programs to fields they had not used in the past."
Cal Odyssey claims the demotion to elementary fields isn't the reason it's shopping for a new home. It believes it will take half a million dollars to covert Granite Park to eight to ten soccer fields. Now it has to find the money. "I think that's great. From a parent standpoint they hit all the nails on the head being the center of the central location that's perfect," said soccer dad Trinidad Valdez.
Cal Odyssey isn't the only group interested in Granite Park. It's been a black eye in Fresno for years and the City is considering all offers.
