As the sun begins to set over the San Gabriel Mountains, a group of people runs across a vibrant grass soccer field, passing a ball through the air. They are surrounded by the glow of downtown Glendale's streetscape: tree-lined streets, beautiful civic architecture, and an Eiffel Tower-style structure are within sight.
It's easy to forget that you're on top of a shopping center parking lot.
Skyline Pitch is a 25,000-square-foot outdoor sports facility that has taken over the upper level of the Americana at Brand, turning what was once a concrete block into a playground for soccer lovers of all ages and skill levels.
Pick-up games start at $15 at the outdoor location.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Created by Chicago-based marketing agency Elemento L2, the complex opened its Los Angeles location this fall with two rooftop soccer fields, a panna cage (basically a small enclosed area for speed-focused 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 games), a fut tennis court (a small rectangular court with a net dividing it), a soccer golf section and other interactive play areas, offering players 15 ways to participate in the sport. The venue also features elegant lounge areas where customers can hang out, order food, sip mocktails, watch games on flat-screen TVs, and dance to music performed by live DJs on special nights.
Skyline Pitch follows a trend of health clubs moving into shopping centers as retail leaders try to tap into customers' desire for community experiences and new activities. In the past two years, indoor pickleball venue Pickle Pop debuted in Santa Monica, in part to try to revive the ailing Third Street Promenade, and Padel Up (dedicated to the sport of paddle tennis) entered Westfield Century City. Also last summer, a racquet sports social club announced it would take over the defunct Macy's building at The Bloc in downtown Los Angeles.
In the world of recreational soccer, converting a portion of a parking structure to create Skyline Pitch is a welcome move, helping to alleviate one of the ongoing barriers for players in Los Angeles: the shortage of fields.
A view from the football field to downtown Los Angeles.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“Finding a place to play is the hardest thing,” says Matthew Bambrick, founder of SoCal Youth Sports, one of the local organizations that partnered with Skyline Pitch to host youth training camps and other programs. “So finding underutilized spaces or spaces that can be revitalized in different ways is actually very smart. This should be the model.”
For Iván López, co-founder of element L2, it made sense to open Skyline Pitch's second location in Los Angeles (the first was in Chicago), not only because it is home to three professional teams and will host the FIFA World Cup next summer, but also because of the city's rich soccer culture.
People enjoy an afternoon playing soccer.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
“The stadiums are packed, whether [the] Gold Cup, World Cup, [UEFA] Nations League, and we celebrate the game in many ways,” says Lopez, who has been traveling to Los Angeles for years to create soccer activations for brands like Target and Coca Cola. “This is where the game is alive and well.”
Anyone who wants to play at Skyline Pitch can sign up for single games starting at $15, rent an entire field starting at $150, or purchase a $20 activity pass, which gives you access for two hours. The venue is also available for private events and birthday parties. Along with SoCal Youth Sports, other local partners include Cal South Soccer and Soccer Stars Los Angeles.
Jimmy Conrad, who played for the national soccer team for five years and 12 years for Major League Soccer, became a Skyline Pitch brand ambassador and says he would have loved to have a space like Skyline Pitch when he was growing up in Los Angeles, a place where they “encourage people to play soccer.”
“It just didn't exist in my generation,” he says. Although the street and local parks [offer] more than enough room to play, he says, having a dedicated venue with the right goals and lines “just adds to the cool factor.”
