Variety Of Sports Fields Available For Rent in East Bay

While the City of Piedmont continues developing its Moraga Canyon Sports Fields, youth and adult sports team looking to rent playing fields have a wide variety to choose from in the East Bay.

The cost to play on a field per hour can vary widely, from about $15 to $90, though a one-to-two hour session played by a group of youths will generally cost somewhere between $20 and $35. Charges are based on city residency, age and other factors, such as the use of lighting, tournament play and more.

Oakland has scores of fields available for rent, some of which have lighted fields, and which can accommodate different sports, private parties and group tournaments. Users are charged based on their age, their city of residency and a number of other factors for two-hour sessions.

Generally, Oakland youth groups can play for free, while their counterparts outside the city are charged $30. Adult groups in or out of the city are also charged $30. Add lights and the cost increases by $15 for youth living in the city as well as everyone living outside the city, though there’s no change in price for Oakland adults. The city recently approved an increase in the fees, though they haven’t gone into effect yet, according to Oakland sports coordinator Frederick Morris.

Berkeley has 10 parks containing sports fields, some of which contain lighting for baseball or softball, though not all are available for rent, according to that city's sports coordinator Harold Bennett.

The city charges users for two hours of play depending on their residency and their age. For Berkeley youth, the cost is $33 and for adults it’s $66. For youth living outside of Berkeley, the cost is around $36 and for adults it’s about $70.

Lafayette charges less for baseball than it does for soccer at its two parks. Generally, the cost is $20 an hour for baseball and softball or $25 for soccer and lacrosse. Lafayette sports leagues using the fields for more than 10 weeks pay $8 an hour for baseball and softball or $15 an hour for soccer. For camps and clinics, it’s $180 a day for baseball or softball and $220 a day for soccer and lacrosse. All field rentals require a $500 refundable security deposit.

Orinda charges for field use depending on whether the users are residents and which fields they’re using and when. For schools, youth and adult leagues, plus non-profit organizations with a majority of its residents living outside the city, the cost is $20 to use a grass field, $50 for a synthetic field or $75 for a synthetic field with lights.

City-affiliated programs are charged $13, $33 and $49, respectively. Private groups with more than 50 percent of members coming from Orinda are charged approximately 25 percent more – $16, $40 and $60.

Emeryville rents out one athletic field for football, soccer, baseball and softball games. The cost is $30 for residents and $40 for non-residents, while all non-profit and youth organizations are charged $20 or $25 depending on the day of the week. The city rents out the field as part of a lease agreement with Emery Secondary School and it’s available to the public after 6 p.m. on weekdays and all day on the weekends.

In El Cerrito, the cost to play at six of its fields is $24 and $32 for resident youth and adult teams, respectively; or $32 and $40 for non-residents. At its large baseball field at Cerrito Vista Park, the cost is $48 for residents and $62 for non-residents. Field space is limited in the city due to league and school games, though the summer months are less crowded, according to the city’s acting recreation director Chris Jones.

In Alameda, the cost for residents is $40 per hour, which includes a field director, field, bases and restrooms, according to the city’s website. Add lights and the cost goes up by $25. For non-residents the cost is $65 without lights or $90 with lights. For an additional fee, Alameda also offers field preparation and tournament play. The city has three soccer fields and four baseball/softball fields.