DOES YOUR YOUTH SPORTS CLUB HAVE A FACILITY ACCESS ISSUE? BALLISTIC SC

Case Study 3: Ballistic SC, CA, USA

LEADERSHIP QUESTION:  What options does a youth sports club have when membership growth exceeds the capacity of facilities for training and games?

In the first two case studies, I looked at two very different responses to the same broad  facility access issue. Burlington showed the value of partnership and shared use. Indy Premier showed how a long-term lease can create control and a stronger business model. Kevin Crow’s example at Ballistic United takes us in another direction again. This time, the issue was shaped by public policy, limited land, and a local environment where traditional solutions were simply unrealistic.

Kevin Crow is the Executive Director of Ballistic United Soccer Club in California, where he leads a nonprofit club serving around 2,150 athletes with 3 full-time and 25 part-time staff. His club has persisted for years to identify, negotiate, and now develop a futsal facility.

The Issue

Ballistics’ challenge was rooted in a city policy that goes back more than 40 years. Soccer was treated as a fall sport, so the club had priority access in that season but much less access outside it. On top of that, the city closed all grass fields from November 1 until March 1, creating a severe winter bottleneck.  The city is landlocked, resistant to growth, and extremely expensive. Buying land was out of reach, and warehouse conversion was not practical because of cost and parking limitations.

The Solution

• Created a dedicated committee to keep pursuing a facility solution over time
• Revisited partnership opportunities that had previously gone nowhere
• Re-approached the local county fairgrounds after COVID, when its leaders were rethinking use of the site
• Secured a five-year land lease rather than waiting for a perfect ownership model
• Built a three-court outdoor futsal facility on a 52,000-square-foot parcel
• Funded the $1.2 million project through a layered model: $250,000 club contribution, $200,000 pre-sale of future field rental to another club, and a $700,000 line of credit
• Allocated Monday through Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. for club use, giving teams one weekly training session on the new courts

Why it worked

Persistence. Kevin and Ballistic did not solve this by finding a perfect opportunity at the perfect moment. They kept the issue alive long enough to be ready when conditions changed. The club did a good job of avoiding the trap of waiting for an ideal ownership solution. The five-year lease was a practical bridge. It allowed the club to create usable inventory and move forward in a market where buying land was not realistic. Just as importantly, the funding model broke the project into pieces that felt more achievable.

Leadership Lessons

First, define the real issue clearly. Ballistic had a policy-driven, seasonal access problem.

Second, persistence matters. The first conversation with the fairgrounds went nowhere, but the club stayed with it long enough to capitalize when the opportunity reopened.

Third, alternative formats can be part of the answer. Kevin’s solution was not a traditional field complex. It was futsal.

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Key Insights

Three Steps Leaders Can Take in the Next 90 Days

SIX CASE STUDIES: Each one focuses on the same core challenge, improving access to the right facilities for the needs and ambitions of the club, yet each leader has approached the issue in a very different way. Together, these case studies demonstrate that the issue is widely shared, and the best solutions are shaped by local context, strategic thinking, and strong leadership.

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