Oceanside council honors Pop Warner national qualifiers and pledges new fields

Mayor Sanchez opened the Jan. 14 Oceanside City Council meeting by honoring the Oceanside Pop Warner Pirates and inviting coaches, players and families to the dais. Coaches and team leaders described three teams advancing to national competition and urged the city to secure a permanent home field for football programs that currently lack adequate practice and game facilities.

Coach Andrew told the council the program “doesn’t have a home” and described operational challenges, including playing most home games offsite due to limited field availability. Coach Shu and other organizers recounted three teams reaching Super Bowl finals in North Carolina and asked the city to revisit the joint agreement with the school district to secure reliable practice and game fields.

Council members responded with public commitments. Mayor Sanchez and staff noted planned construction of Parkside fields at El Corazon this coming summer, describing two new fields in that project as potential sites for football use. City staff and the parks director said they would continue coordination with Oceanside Unified and other partners to consider dedicating those fields for Pop Warner and to explore interim solutions at MLK Middle School.

The council invited the team to a community celebration scheduled for the upcoming Saturday at the Pier Amphitheater and encouraged continued dialogue with parks staff to identify short‑ and long‑term field options.