For 25 years, Girsh Park has served residents of Goleta and Santa Barbara alike.
Beginning as an athletics complex, the park has grown over the years into a space for all members of the community to enjoy.
Now, the park is celebrating 25 years of existence with its official ribbon-cutting dating back to May 23, 1999.
Home of Dos Pueblos Little League
When Girsh Park first opened, it was labeled as the home of Dos Pueblos Little League. To this day, that title still stands true.
Before 1999 and the construction of Girsh Park, DPLL had made its home right next door, where the Camino Real Marketplace is now located.
Every spring since the jump across the street, hundreds of little leaguers from the Goleta and Santa Barbara area have come together at Girsh Park to begin and continue their baseball journeys.
As the calendar turns from spring to summer, Girsh Park evolves into the home of the ‘Boys of Summer’ as DPLL begins to compete in the All-Star season.
DPLL has found plenty of success during the summer months as of late, taking home seven district championships over the last two years, some of which were captured at Girsh Park.
Santa Barbara’s Soccer Hub
For many years, AYSO soccer teams in Santa Barbara played their games at open fields that were owned by UCSB along El Colegio Road.
However, UCSB began to build graduate student housing on the open fields in 2000. This left over 200 youth soccer teams without a location to play.
Just one year into the park’s existence, Girsh Park stepped in and became the full-time home of AYSO for the Santa Barbara and Goleta area.
Now, 216 total teams and over 2,500 children play their AYSO soccer games at Girsh Park on Saturdays in the fall.
On top of this, the Santa Barbara Soccer Club and the Central Coast Men’s Soccer League utilize the turf fields at the park for games and practices.
A Venue for the Community
While youth sports is a large aspect of Girsh Park, that is far from all they bring to the local community.
Along with the little league fields in the spring that are then fashioned into soccer fields come the fall, Girsh Park features blacktop basketball courts, a play structure and expansive grassy areas for kids to run around and families to enjoy a picnic.
The park has also been the host site of many community events, including the annual Goleta Lemon Festival.
In 2005, the Lemon Festival had grown so much in popularity that their original location of Rancho La Patera could not accommodate the crowds.
Once again, Girsh Park stepped up and became the home of the Goleta Lemon Festival, which is held every fall and draws thousands of visitors from the Santa Barbara area and beyond.
The People Behind the Park
While many local parks are fully owned and operated by the city, Girsh Park is a bit different.
At the center of the park’s existence is the Foundation for Girsh Park, which consists of a small Board of Directors and one paid full-time staff member.
Every year, the foundation raises money to account for the operation budget of the park and keep the user fees as low as possible.
Much of the financial support for the park comes from the Girsh/Hochman families and the CIty of Goleta, providing a unique blend of private and public resources to keep the park running.
This balance of financial support while the park itself is owned and operated by a non-profit foundation has allowed Girsh Park to thrive in the city of Goleta for 25 years, and likely many more years to come.
For more on Girsh Park and the services it provides to the Santa Barbara and Goleta communities, visit https://girshpark.org/.