J.C. Handly Sports Complex — Attraction in Brandon

Had a horrible experience on Monday night. A group of us regularly play here on fields that are not being used for practice. For the first time we had our game interrupted by a man screaming at us that we are not allowed to play here. We responded that this is a public park and we always play here on Mondays on a field not being used. The gentleman continued to scream at us and get in our face. He proceeded to call the police to trespass us from a public park… this man is no other than Sergio Rapuano the Director of Goalkeeping for the west Florida flames. He displayed such a disgusting behavior unbecoming of a fellow soccer player. He treated us with disrespect. All we wanted to do was play soccer, instead we were threatened and verbally insulted by Sergio Rapuano. The field we were playing on was not being used nor was going to be used by anyone else. He admitted that. He said no one was using the field but he doesn’t care because he “pays 500,000 a year for them” He simply didn’t want us there and tried to kick us out of this taxpayer funded park. For a former professional soccer player to act so unprofessional and hostile just because he feels entitled that his league helps manages the fields. This is a public park funded by taxpayer dollars and he has no right to interfere with the public playing on fields not being used...

This park is extremely busy with the local children's' sports leagues, but there is a wonderful trail that circumnavigates the entire complex, winding in and out of the surrounding woods. On weekdays, I often take my dog for a few laps around and we both love it.

Along the trail, there are exercise stations, with bars, poles, etc. for pull-ups and other exercises for those who wish to stop and get a fuller workout during the run or walk around the fields.

The tennis courts are a a little worn, but I've never seen them very busy, so if you like the sport, it's worth a visit.

The park can get REALLY loud during soccer matches. The shouting and cheering can be heard throughout the adjacent neighborhoods on game days. On Monday mornings, there's quite a bit of litter left behind by the families watching the games. There are plenty of litter and recycling receptacles, so it would be nice if the visitors would be more considerate of their trash, but the park crews do a good job of cleaning up the mess and by the afternoon, the park is no longer an eyesore.

Overall, it's a great local resource and...

While the park is a poorly designed wedge of land with a lack of adequate parking spots for the number of fields, the true horror of having to play here is not only the fields conditions, but the home team and their parents. Granted each time I've been there, it's been a valuable teaching lesson for my kid. Next time the parents are heckling your free kick, ask the ref to deal with them. When the WFF players cuss at you on the field, be the bigger person and just play on. But it is clear the apple doesn't fall far and the WFF are encouraged to body their opponents, thus making the game dangerous. The refs, like Pavlov's dogs, are conditioned with this ultra-aggressive normality and no longer question the behavior. These mediocre fields and the trashy behavior demonstrated at this park (on and off the field) earned this one star review. This town is in the running for the armpit of the state. Do not...