Hundreds gathered on Friday, August 19, 2025, for the grand opening of Next Soccer Park, marking a historic night for soccer in Simi Valley. The energetic event was the result of sweat, strategy, and sacrifice during the summer heat! We are often asked, “How did this arena come to be?” “What led you guys to build on a parking lot?” As we embark on our one-month anniversary, we reflect on our Grand Opening–and all the grand things that preceded it.
A New Kind of Pitch
Leading the charge at Next Sports Enterprises is Christian Udaeta, owner of Next Auto Body in Simi Valley, junior varsity head soccer coach at Royal High School, head coach at Rebels Football Club, and head coach at Eclipse Simi Valley Soccer Club. This man knows his sport! In his 20+ years of coaching, Christian saw the limitations of venue options for soccer teams. Partnering with Jake Perlingos, a local businessman and father, they envisioned a new reliable, high-quality arena where players can train beyond sunset and despite light rain. As Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Christian and Jake knew that East Ventura needed rental sports spaces and seized an opportunity at the heart of Simi Valley. The Town Center was ripe with possibilities given its location, leasing options, and supportive mall management. Within a month of “pitching” the idea, they were off to the building phase of Next Soccer Park–the first of its kind within a 20-mile radius! The team expanded to include Omar Abosaleem, Kevin Brooks, Lindsay Davis, Rupa Brooks, and their respective families, who contributed to making the vision a reality.
Building a Community Hub
From April to August 2025, we sourced, transported, and utilized American-made materials to a 10,000+-square-foot space of the mall parking lot. With the help of a private donation, we secured top-of-the-line equipment to transform a barren space into a thriving soccer hub.
“If we were going to do this, we were going to do this right–with community in mind and commitment in our hearts,” Udaeta shared. Once field #1 was complete, we had set the playbook for field #2. We took necessary breaks during the heat wave, but kept our Grand Opening date as our North Star.
On August 1, we were ready to soft launch! We opened the nets for field testing to our Rebels players, who offered the feedback we needed to tweak, remove, replace, and resolve whatever could be improved. Lighting was a big factor. After our initial trial proved too dim, we upgraded to the bigger, brighter stadium lights you see today. We are proud that they illuminate our players who love to play footie after sunset. Families have actually thanked us for them!
A Grand Opening to Remember
The buzz was building. Simi Valley Acorn ran a great business profile on us, social media followers were growing, and teams wanted to know when they could start booking one or both of our fields. We formed a street team to personally invite as many soccer families as possible to join on August 19. We welcomed local food, drink, art, and entertainment vendors to help make our event a standout.
All that hard work culminated in over 200 guests attending our opening night. Soccer fans enjoyed open play, competed in fun contests, won prizes, and learned more about our offerings–some even stayed two hours past our stated end time! We were thrilled to keep the party going to usher in a new soccer home for many. Our delicious food, refreshing drink, and fun art vendors enhanced our opening from beginning to end. A special shout-out Ballet Folkorico Cielito Lindo de Simi Valley for bringing talented folklore dancers to perform for everyone, and for the mechanical bull that put up quite a fight!
Keeping the Momentum Going
The entire Next Soccer Park crew sends a mega thanks to all the parents, soccer players, and community members who stopped by on that memorable night. Let’s keep building memories together. Stay informed on our classes, open play times, and register for a field rental here. See you on the pitch!
