Ralph B Clark Sports Complex

The City of Fullerton has lost the bid to obtain a lease for the management and maintenance of Ralph B. Clark Sports Park. The entity that ranked the highest, ZT Parks (also called ZT Baseball), is a private corporation based in Texas.

Like many in the City, Fullerton Parks and Rec Commissioner Chair Angela Lindstrom is curious about ZT Parks: “We don’t know enough about this entity; what is their track record? Why did ZT Parks come in first? Why did the City not score as highly? Did we not do something right? We were the incumbents. These are unanswered questions right now.”

The City of Fullerton has previously managed the Ralph B Clark Sports Complex, but Lindstrom emphasized in a phone interview that it takes up a lot of time for staff to manage all the nonprofit youth leagues on top of their job responsibilities to the City. When asked about the City’s revenue loss from Clark Sports Complex management, Lindstrom responded: “The $50-60K is a small amount; we need to look at the staffing costs and the added benefits. We can apply for grants that would return several times the value.”

Chair Lindstrom is not particularly concerned about a third party managing the county park: “I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, as long as we’re getting equal value for our teams and the County being a good steward of our tax money.”

Fullerton City Councilmember Ahmad Zahra shares this priority: “We need a system that allows kids to play and is fair to all the leagues.”

CEO Real Estate, OC Supervisor Doug Chaffee’s office, and OC Parks sent out the Request for Proposals (RFP) for Clark Sports Complex on February 27, 2024. The RFP was open to profit and nonprofit entities, and proposals were due on April 15, 2024. According to the County Executive Office, a panel rated and scored the proposals.

On August 5, 2024, ZT Parks, the City of Fullerton, and Youth Sports Management were sent their scores.

Out of 1500, ZT Parks scored 1038, and the City of Fullerton came in second at 945. The County will move forward with contract negotiations with ZT Parks. Once an agreement is reached, it will be submitted to the County Board of supervisors or to the County’s Chief Real Estate Officer. Once it is approved, the agreement will be made public.

In a phone interview, Al Jabbar, Doug Chaffee’s Chief of Staff, stated that the district isn’t very involved with the process: “The county parks are running this entire process. It’s an independent committee.”

Fullerton City Council Mayor Pro Tem Fred Jung is concerned about this potential takeover: “It is unfortunate that a hedge fund-run for-profit program will now be programming 100% of a public [sports] park. A county park, but still a public park.” While Jung admits that this is a county park outside of his purview, he also expresses worry since he runs a local sports league. “There’s only a limited amount of parks and sports fields. We don’t have many at all. Field space is a challenge.”

Jung says that any “for-profit business run by a hedge fund with an analyst on its executive team will not prioritize community service. A nonprofit would never have an analyst, just well-meaning parents.”

According to ZT Corporate’s website, ZT Baseball runs over 100 teams with 130 coaches in Texas, California, Arizona, Louisiana, and Nevada.

Jung says the reason behind ZT Baseball’s success is these travel teams, which are a very lucrative business: “There’s a stigma for making money around children who just want to play sports and go outside, so I understand to some marginal degree their hesitation to be more forthright.”

What’s happening to Clark Sports Complex could be another example of a corporate takeover of local youth sports. This is part of a larger national movement towards privatizing youth sports. The New York Times reports that youth sports has become a $30-40 billion industry, pricing out many kids from sports teams.

The following organizations currently utilize the fields at Clark Park: Fullerton Bears, Fullerton Rangers, MVP Flag Football, Elite Fast Pitch, Padilla Fast Pitch, Cerritos Soccer, OC Connection, Shalom Tigers, and Knights 16u. Time will tell how these youth leagues will be impacted under ZT Parks’ management.

To voice your opinion to the OC Board of Supervisors, the next meeting is on August 27 at 9 am. Here are the ways that you can participate:

• You can attend and make comments at Board of Supervisors meetings in person. An additional overflow room is available for the public to watch the meeting and wait to speak. First Floor, 400 W Civic Center Dr, Santa Ana.
• You can call in listen to the live meetings by dialing (866) 590-5055, Access Code: 4138489 while business is being conducted. This is a live, listen only feed. If you are experiencing difficulties or need assistance, please call (855) 886-5400.
• Follow this link for more information: https://board.ocgov.com/meetings-agendas (click here)

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