Indoor soccer, that is. This is Sports City Indoor Soccer Center in Santa Rosa. Sports City has been about the only place to play soccer in the deluge of winter, when most outdoor fields are closed to public use for months on end. Beneath the massive steel girders that span the cavernous building shimmers an electric green AstroTurf arena enclosed by netting and Plexiglas walls and garnished with diverse international soccer flags.
Indoor soccer is more akin to hockey and basketball than to outdoor soccer.
Passing off the wall creates an extra dimension. Hard fouls get you two minutes in the penalty box. It's a lot of work indoors, but it's so much fun. This popular indoor soccer complex opened in 1996 to a notable buzz of excitement among the dozens of adult outdoor soccer teams. The center employs 32 people, including 24 referees.