Sports Fields

Soccer is a popular sport in De Soto, and during the development of the 2018 Parks & Recreation Master Plan, many residents felt that soccer needs to be prioritized moving forward. Soccer is the only recreation program run by the City that does not have dedicated fields for play. The youth soccer programs are currently hosted on fields throughout the City that are not specifically designed for soccer. We currently utilize open spaces at Riverfest Park, Sunflower Baseball & Softball Fields, and property owned by the school district. The development of a permanent, dedicated facility for the soccer program ranked highly among residents and would provide the basis of a strong soccer program in De Soto.

The proposed soccer fields - located on 79th street across from Riverfest Park - are projected to be completed within 24 months and include parking, restrooms, and security lighting.

Why aren’t we installing artificial turf? Isn’t that the direction sports fields are going? 

Our soccer program is seasonal and does not receive the intense usage needed to justify the additional cost of artificial turf.

Are we working with the school district to share resources?  Couldn’t we save money by sharing space with USD 232?   

De Soto maintains a strong and valuable partnership with USD 232 in all mutual areas of governance, and recreational programming is no exception. Our youth basketball program relies heavily on the use of USD 232 facilities for gym space, and parts of our soccer programming take place on school property. However, there are schedule overlaps with the City’s youth soccer seasons and the district’s use of their outdoor soccer facility which makes scheduling games and practices impossible.