The town council discussed the findings of a report on the supply and demand for soccer fields at a recent meeting, and soccer community members say the town is moving in the right direction.

The town gathered field-usage data after a January 2004 council discussion of sports facilities. The data showed that while there are an adequate number of fields to accommodate both Los Gatos United Soccer League games and Los Gatos­Saratoga Community Education and Recreation soccer activities, there are not enough to allow for the typical number of practices required by the soccer league.

Assistant Town Manager Pamela Jacobs presented a report on the findings on Dec. 20 and told the council about options for addressing the shortage. The town owns no land that would currently be suitable for full-size (60 yards by 110 yards) fields.

One solution would be to install lighting at existing fields so that practices can be held later, especially during the darker winter months. Another is to find space at privately owned properties and offer incentives for selling or donating such property to the town.

Santa Clara County officials have been unreceptive to the idea of soccer fields at Vasona Park, of which the town owns 13 acres, but the agreement that allows the county to use that land expires in 2010. Councilman Steve Glickman said he would like to see the town pursue use of the site.

Other council members asked about the possibility of having more practices from 3 to 5 p.m. instead of the common 5 to 7 p.m. slot.

Dale Greenley, vice president of administration for the soccer league's board, said that the earlier practice time is "nearly impossible" for parents and coaches alike to attend.

Mike Karr, founder of the Pacific Soccer Academy (formerly the Soccer Club of Los Gatos), later told the Los Gatos Weekly-Times that PSA teams could try to utilize those earlier spots. To address the lack of space, though, his group has mostly had to use fields outside of Los Gatos.

Karr led an effort last year to install artificial field turf at Los Gatos High School. Though the plans fizzled because of both school officials' and neighbors' concerns about increased usage of high school facilities, Karr said the effort caught the attention of community members and town leaders. He said he is happy with the town's report and discussion.

"It needs to be a collaboration between the league and the town," he said. "Mostly, the thing I'm excited about is Mike Wasserman as mayor ... At the meeting he took a really big role in pushing for more soccer fields."

Indeed, Wasserman approached the issue with zeal, saying that he wanted "no stone left unturned" in the search for more facilities.

Councilman Joe Pirzynski said he wanted to be a bit more cautious before directing town staff to dedicate significant time and effort into the search. He said he supported an approach mentioned by other council members which included sending the issue to the town's parks commission and the possible creation of a new task force or committee.

"I want us not to overstate the problem," he said. "We are not in a crisis. I think our analysis shows us clearly that we are able to deliver the service. There are some things that need to be improved, but we are ... delivering."

Greenley, who is a parent, coach and referee, said at the December meeting that not just any piece of land would make for a good soccer field.

"In terms of quantity of fields, I think [the report is] accurate, but we have an issue with quality as well," Greenley said. "There may be pieces of grass that are available for us to use, but in many cases they're not really safe."

Karr said he believes there is somewhat of a crisis situation because of that safety issue--he has had players injured because of gopher holes--and because the field shortage drives would-be Los Gatos players out of town.

"We have 50 kids come to a tryout and we can only take 13 on a team," he said. "We saw all those kids come back to tryouts and they've got De Anza league shirts on or West Valley shirts on. It's just a little disheartening."

Wasserman explained his position and expressed support for the idea of a task force and of involving town advisory bodies.

"I guess what I'm trying to do ... I just want to get as many things as possible moving forward," he said.

No specific decision was made, but the council directed town staff to continue looking for solutions to the space problem. The council will discuss the issue again at its annual retreat later this month.