Hearing held over NFL's use of youth soccer park for Super Bowl media village
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KTVU) - With the Super Bowl less than a month away, a battle continues in Santa Clara over a youth soccer field that sits in the shadows of Levi's Stadium.
A hearing was held on Monday on whether to block the NFL from using the field for Super Bowl 50. A decision on the matter is expected Tuesday.
The Santa Clara Youth Soccer League has filed a lawsuit against the city of Santa Clara, which owns the soccer park, alleging a public hearing required under city code was not held to amend the park's conditional use permit.
The soccer league also requested a temporary restraining order against the NFL to prevent the league from taking over the park for Super Bowl use.
That request was initially denied by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Joseph H. Huber.
The NFL is set to use the site as a media center for the Super Bowl.
Almost 100 holes were pierced into the ground at the fields and cement blocks were brought in to the park, according to the Youth Soccer League.
The NFL has promised to restore the fields. And the city says the work is in line with the license agreement and 2013 Super Bowl Bid.
But the lawsuit alleges that under the contract the NFL is only required to restore one of two natural grass fields and will use "lower-quality" grass on the other field.
The Youth Soccer League says as many as 7,000 children, including about 1,500 in the league, use the fields.