"This is Los Gatos. It's really big," Deloumi said, stretching his arms out as far as they could go. "And all I want," he said as he brought his hands close together and gestured to a much smaller space, "is a little skatepark. It's been like 50 million years, and you guys need a skatepark."

He paused and then reconsidered his words. "But you don't have to."

Deloumi was just one of a number of soccer and skateboard enthusiasts who appeared before the council Jan. 20 to address the growing space issues facing recreational sports teams in Los Gatos. With a turnout that included sleepy children in soccer jerseys and teenagers toting their skateboards, residents crowded the council chambers, calling on the council to expand the use of Los Gatos parks and look into creating new spaces for recreational sports use.

"If there are no spaces, what are we going to do with all of these kids who showed up [tonight]," asked Ed San Juan, president of the Los Gatos United Soccer League.

While the council was receptive to residents' concerns, some members tempered the calls for immediate action with a dose of reality.

"This is a process," said Councilwoman Sandy Decker. "One of the things that bothers me is raising expectations. We are facing an incredibly difficult year."

However, Decker added, "I don't want you to lose faith."

The problem, as those addressing the council pointed out, is a simple supply and demand issue. Both soccer and skateboarding have seen dramatic jumps in their participant rate over the last 10 years, yet the number of facilities open to either group in Los Gatos has not changed to meet this increase.

For example, since 1993, soccer participation in Los Gatos and outlying areas of Santa Jose has risen by 3 to 5 percent, estimated San Juan. This works out to be roughly 1,700 soccer players in that area, 75 percent who are Los Gatos residents but who play on 12 available fields. These figures do not include soccer players in other Los Gatos leagues.

In some cases, such as with the Soccer League of Los Gatos, players are forced to use fields in other cities like San Jose.

"If we had to limit our Los Gatos players to what's available in Los Gatos, you would turn many, many children away," Jim Arrasmith, commissioner for the recreational league of Los Gatos, told the council.

In the absence of town sanctioned fields, leagues have taken it upon themselves to solve the crisis. The Soccer League of Los Gatos signed a deal last week with the Los Gatos High School to turf the school's soccer field in exchange for play time during the off-seasons. The league expects to have a fundraiser for the project in April.

Skateboarders face a completely different issue. There is no official skateboard facility in Los Gatos, leaving skaters to either find empty tennis courts or other spaces or drive to other facilities in Sunnyvale or San Jose. The latter case poses a particular problem for younger skateboarders. Often left without a mode of transportation, they skate in places not appropriate for the activity.

"I would love to get my son off my curb," Deloumi's mother, Karen, said to the council.

Although most speakers alluded to a need for space, many also talked about what being involved in a sport meant to them or their children. San Juan passed out a letter from World Cup soccer champion Brandi Chastain, who wrote in support of the Los Gatos soccer community.

"These soccer fields that you are considering building may not result in college scholarships, Olympic gold medals ... but they will help the people of Los Gatos build strong families," Chastain wrote. Jerry Smith, Chastain's husband and a soccer coach at Santa Clara University, attended the meeting in her place.

Several young soccer players reiterated this idea, talking about the dedication they have to the sport and to their community.

"If you look around, you'll see people who have homework, but they're staying up because they really love soccer," Katie Mitchell, a 14-year-old soccer player with the Los Gatos Lock told the council.

The council explored a number of options with residents at the meeting for both soccer and skateboarding. Among the most popular options was opening Oak Meadow Park for soccer practice and games and building a permanent, public skatepark in town.

Not all residents spoke in favor of these proposed developments.

"I feel like a skunk at a lawn party," said Jose Mass, a Los Gatos resident who lives next to a soccer field. Mass said that he was not against soccer, but wanted council members to understand the problems games and practices created for residents close to a field.

"The sound burns through the house," he said. "We like to listen to the television, to music, to each other, but when we have little girls screaming, you just can't get away from it."

The council closed the public hearing without making any decisions, but relayed their intent to pursue the matter further in the near future.

"I think this gives us a new stimulus, perhaps with new eyes, as to know how we are going to satisfy this need," said Councilman Joe Pirzynski.