The soccer field menace

[haele]

26. Active usage and money that usage provides to the city.

A soccer field complex generates revenue to the local area by attracting more people for the games and practices. Parks and Recreation can get more money from the general fund by pointing out that more people are coming to the park now that it's one or two soccer fields and they have to build and maintain bleachers, rest rooms, the pitch and goal areas, additional parking, etc.
Less money spent on actual management - especially on maintaining vegetation and they won't need a full-time arborist or landscape specialist for the area, as they would for an arboreal park setting where the usage is only for trail walking/running, hanging out or picnics.
They may also think an open space is less attractive to homeless and gangs of teenagers or other vagrants.

Haele