SoccerPlex finances are stable as revenue continues to grow

New challenges to come as fields reach capacity

The SoccerPlex, located on 162 acres in Boyds’ South Germantown Recreational Park, struggled financially since it first opened but has since stabilized, Trish Heffelfinger, executive director of the nonprofit Maryland Soccer Foundation, operator of the SoccerPlex , said during the foundation’s annual report to the Planning Board on Thursday. The facility broke even for the first time in calendar year 2006 and earned $100,000 in excess revenue last year, she said, and $400,000 in excess revenue is projected for 2008.

The public-private partnership is projecting $4.1 million in gross revenue for 2007, up from $3.7 million in 2006 and $1.7 million in 2000, the year the facility debuted, Heffelfinger said.

‘‘It’s gone up every year,” she said Tuesday. ‘‘We’re getting there. It feels good to break the $4 million mark.”

Expenses remained flat from 2006 to 2007, according to documents. Though expenses are expected to go up 9 percent in 2008, the foundation expects revenue to grow by $828,000, a 23 percent increase.

A major reason for the growth is the park’s three new artificial turf fields, Heffelfinger said. The lighted fields can be used more often than natural fields and accommodate activities that are too rough for grass, such as practices, adult soccer, football and lacrosse. On a rainy Saturday in November, the foundation’s one artificial turf field completed at the time was the only field in the county hosting a full day of matches, according to the documents.

Since the fields were not all finished by the fall season, they took in $69,000 the last three months of the year, $260,000 less than expected, Heffelfinger said. The fields earned $150,000 between January and March.

The foundation has also had success with creating its own sports leagues and tournaments, a transition that began about three years ago and brings in more revenue than renting fields to outside organizations, Heffelfinger said. Its youth recreational league, the Soccer Association of Montgomery, has increased from 941 registered players in fall 2006 to 1,201 in fall 2007, a figure expected to reach 1,400 in fall 2008, the documents state.

Some of the SoccerPlex’s financial hardships resulted from building the bulk of the facility at once instead of spacing it out, a decision Heffelfinger said has been beneficial in the long run. The SoccerPlex includes 21 outdoor soccer fields, a 3,200-seat tournament stadium and an indoor multi-purpose facility, the Discovery Sports Center. Bids have begun coming in for a planned 3,300-seat stadium expansion, Heffelfinger said, and construction is expected to begin in November at the earliest.

‘‘For probably the first five or six years, we looked at how to utilize this facility to its maximum,” she said. ‘‘We were trying to get ahead, but we were really looking at day-to-day operations. Now we’re looking ahead to next year’s operations, and I think that’s a healthier place to be.”

To address the future needs of the SoccerPlex, the foundation hopes to form more partnerships, such as with lacrosse organizations and the county recreation department, continue forging relationships with professional soccer teams such as Real Maryland and the Washington Freedom, bring in more out-of-town visitors, establish Ride On service to the SoccerPlex and increase usage at the Discovery Sports Center, such as by booking special events like trade shows or offering karate lessons.