For nearly 25 years, the Long Beach Patriots have been a cornerstone of the city’s youth football and cheer community.
But now, the program says it’s struggling to secure and maintain field access due to ongoing challenges with the Long Beach Unified School District and the city’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) — challenges that are even forcing them to consider leaving the city.
“It’s really disappointing,” said Patriots athletic director Mark Woods. “It’s the fact that we have no support in Long Beach for an organization that is providing a vessel for these kids to become great young men — an organization with a proven track record of doing exactly that — and we have to fight all these barriers just to secure a field.”
According to Woods, the Patriots were cleared to practice at Cabrillo High School starting June 16, but were notified just a week prior that the campus would remain closed until July 7. Later in the month, their permit was compromised twice more, once for an unannounced film shoot and again with just hours’ notice due to a lack of staff. Woods says similar issues occurred last year as well, leaving the program scrambling to relocate and transport 130 kids on short notice.
“The (LBUSD) values its partnerships with local youth programs and recognizes the importance of providing safe and reliable field access for student-athletes throughout our community,” an LBUSD spokesperson said in response. The spokesperson added that while the Patriots are still using the stadium at Cabrillo High School, the adjacent field is unavailable because one field is under construction and the other is already at full capacity with District athletic programming.
“We understand that this may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. Should plans change and space become available, we will notify the Patriots program as soon as possible. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our community as we work to balance student needs, facility improvements and overall availability.”
The Patriots have also struggled to secure field access through the Long Beach Parks and Recreation Department due to a lack of designated football fields in the city. As a result, the program has been forced to request permits for baseball fields and other grass or dirt areas, requests that Woods says are often denied or given low priority by the department.
“Long Beach Parks, Recreation and Marine (PRM) strives to fairly allocate available sports fields to as many city youth groups as possible,” PRM said in a statement. “The Department’s policy is to issue fields first to PRM programs, then to Long Beach Unified School District programs, and then to Parks and Recreation Commission approved youth groups which include the Patriots Football Org.”
For the last 24 years, the non-profit organization has prided itself in providing academic support, mentorship, and athletic training to youth, many of whom come from under-resourced areas of Long Beach.
The program was founded by Long Beach legend Snoop Dogg and is led by former New England Patriot and current chairman Willie McGinest. The program has produced more than a dozen athletes who have earned college scholarships across the country. Several alumni have also gone on to play in the NFL, including Elijah Hicks (Chicago Bears), Jack Jones (free agent), and Alex Austin (New England Patriots).
The Patriots’ struggles come at a time when youth sports expenses have reached an all-time high. The Aspen Institute estimates that the youth sports industry generates about $40 billion annually. According to a survey by the Aspen Institute in collaboration with Utah State University and Louisiana Tech University, the average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on their child’s main sport in 2024 — a 46 percent increase since 2019.
This leads some families to struggle with the financial demands, without taking into account financial differences. As a nonprofit, the Patriots actively raise funds to help the under-resourced families in Long Beach. They sponsor children from low-income and single-parent households and offer discounts to families enrolling multiple kids.
“We pride ourselves on saying, ‘Hey, if you can’t pay, we’re able to offer scholarships to help households.’ Our interest is not to gouge our parents for money,” Woods said. “It’s to provide a service that helps these young men grow up and become contributors to our community.”
The ongoing instability of hosting their program in Long Beach has led the Patriots to consider relocating after nearly two decades in the city, seeking, at the very least, more certainty around field access and stronger support from the city.
“We’re considering changing our name and moving to a more affluent area that has ample grass fields, lower fees, and a community that actually wants youth programs there,” Woods said.
