Title
Athletic Field User Agreement
History
The Athletic Field User Agreement (AFUA) governs the use of Village athletic fields by youth organizations. Specifically, the AFUA sets scheduling priorities by residency, outlines procedures for the use of Village athletic fields, defines rental fees, a non-resident fee, usage protocols, and sets expectations of coaches, players, parents/guardians and spectators. The AFUA includes a Three Strike Policy which outlines the consequences that may be applied to an organization that violates the protocols outlined in the Agreement.
Staff updated the Agreement for use in 2024. This includes: providing examples of groups categorized in the Priority Order of Field Scheduling; including the rental rate for grass and artificial turf field use; adding artificial turf user guidelines and a field scheduling timeline in the appendix. The remainder of the AFUA is the same as the Agreement approved and used in 2023.
Staff shared a draft of the AFUA with Village athletic organizations to gain feedback and input related to the Agreement. Organizations included Sting FC, Chicago City, the Orland Youth Association (OYA), Pioneer Football, the Orland Park Soccer Club (OPSC), Southside Storm Lacrosse, Girls Sparks Softball and Chicagoland United Soccer.
Staff met individually with Chicago City, OYA, Pioneer Football, and the OPSC upon request, to address concerns related to the use of fields and questions to some portions of the AFUA.
In these meetings, staff stressed that scheduling priority is done by overall organization residency based upon rosters provided by each organization for the spring/summer season and summer/fall season.
When scheduling fields, staff provide each organization with an overall seasonal field allocation. Organizations then distribute fields to individual teams within each’s organization. Organizations with equivalent residency are treated equally in a balanced, equitable manner. Organizations with lesser residency percentages are scheduled based upon the priority outlined with the AFUA. Overall, field allocations have historically met the needs of athletic organizations.
Concerns raised by athletic organizations primarily centered around specific user needs and field readiness. Staff are working to address these concerns to meet the expectations of field users.
The Recreation Advisory Board reviewed and approved the 2024 Athletic Field User Agreement during their February 6, 2024 meeting and recommended........
Staff seek Board approval to utilize the updated Agreement as outlined for the 2024 season, and to utilize these guidelines in future years. Any significant changes to the Athletic Field User Agreement in the future would be presented to the Board for consideration and approval before implementation.
Financial Impact
None
Recommended Action/Motion
I move to recommend to the Village Board to adopt the updated Athletic Field User Agreement for use in allocating athletic fields by residency, administering rental and non-resident fees, defining field usage protocols and services performed by Village staff, setting expectations for coaches, players, parents/guardians and spectators, and to utilize the outlined Three Strike Policy as defined in the agreement.