Northwest LV soccer club adds FIFA-sized field

By Paul Takahashi

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010 | 5:55 p.m.

Las Vegas Indoor Soccer just might have to change its name after it adds five new outdoor soccer fields next month.

The indoor soccer complex, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, is adding one FIFA regulation-sized soccer field that can be divided into three smaller fields, and two practice fields.

The turf fields will be located next to the indoor fields at 1400 N. Rampart Blvd., near Summerlin, and are scheduled to be completed by late November.

“We’re excited about this,” general manager Meir Cohen said. “These fields will be first class. Some of the city’s fields are in really bad shape.”

The $1 million expansion is just the first part of a larger plan to attract a Major League Soccer team to Las Vegas, Cohen said. The soccer complex plans to add a locker room and a training center to complement the fitness center and indoor soccer fields it already has.

Indoor Soccer has year-round soccer leagues for players 6 years old and older. The facilities host day camps, weeklong camps, a Nevada Day soccer tournament and the national indoor soccer championships. The complex is also home to a nationally renowned youth development soccer program called Lil’ Kickers, which caters to players from ages 18 months to 17 years old.

The outdoor fields will be made available for a variety of sports besides soccer, Cohen said. Talks are taking place for football, Ultimate Frisbee, lacrosse and kickball to be played on the fields.

The complex has already attracted some of the city’s largest soccer clubs, Cohen said. The outdoor fields’ first season, a shortened one, begins on Nov. 29 and will last for six weeks. Current indoor soccer members can use the new fields for free during its inaugural season, Cohen said.

Teams can use the outdoor fields for $300 to $600 per season, which usually lasts between 10 and 11 weeks. Teams can also practice on the fields for $20 to $65 an hour, depending on the size of the team.