Surf Sports Park — Local services in San Diego

I had the pleasure of attending the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival this year at Surf Sports Park, and it truly exceeded my expectations. As someone who has attended numerous wine and food festivals in the San Diego area and even along other coastal cities, I can confidently say that this event stood out for all the right reasons. First off, the Surf Sports Park venue is absolutely perfect for an event like this. The open, spacious layout made it so much easier to navigate compared to other festivals I’ve been to. Unlike more cramped venues, there was plenty of room to move around, explore different booths, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings without feeling overcrowded. The natural flow of the space meant I wasn’t constantly bumping into people or waiting in long lines, which really enhanced the overall experience. The Del Mar Wine & Food Festival itself was beautifully curated, with a fantastic selection of wines and gourmet food offerings. It’s clear that a lot of thought went into making this event accessible and enjoyable for all attendees. The combination of top-notch vendors and the scenic outdoor setting made for a memorable day, and I especially appreciated how easy it was to hop between tastings and demonstrations without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Having attended many wine and food festivals San Diego, I’ve seen how challenging it can be to get around crowded, enclosed spaces. But at Del Mar, the openness and ease of movement really made it a standout experience for me. Whether you were sipping a glass of wine or sampling a new dish, it felt relaxed, spacious, and incredibly enjoyable—much more so than some of the other festivals I've attended along the water, which tend to be a bit more cramped and difficult to navigate. Overall, I would highly recommend the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival at Surf Sports Park to anyone looking for an outstanding food and wine experience in San Diego. The combination of great food, excellent wine, and a well-organized, open venue makes it one of the best in the area. I’m already looking forward to attending...

If your child isn’t on the top flight, don’t expect much attention. When my kid played here, he actually regressed so badly in one year that we left for another club the following season. Parents often had to ask the coach to review basic fundamentals, especially since some kids were brand new to the game. It seemed like Surf had no interest in teaching the basics if you didn’t pick them up at age 5. Like many parents, we ended up paying extra for outside training sessions to cover what the club should have been teaching.

The field situation was just as frustrating. Fields were often closed down for light rain, with no backup plans for practice. At one point, our team went three weeks without practicing before a tournament, only to get completely outplayed by clubs that had been training consistently. Even worse, we once paid for tournaments that we never actually entered. The money vanished, and when we asked about it, the club brushed it off with “we’re tracking down the team manager.” We never saw a refund and never heard back again.

And then there’s parking. Playing here already costs a fortune, but tournaments pile on even more with $20 parking fees. You drive around forever looking for a spot, sometimes missing game time because the traffic is so bad you can’t even get into the park. And when you do find parking, it’s just a dirt lot, dust covering your car or mud when the water trucks come through. With all the money they collect from club fees and parking, it’s hard to believe they haven’t paved the lots or invested in better infrastructure.

Facilities are equally disappointing. Bathrooms are just portapotties, and there aren’t even water fountains available. For a place that calls itself a “sports complex” and claims to be focused on youth development, the coaching is subpar, the facilities are bare minimum, and the overall value simply isn’t there. Families deserve far better for what...

A terrible facility for soccer tournaments. So many negatives the only thing it has is flat grass fields but that is absolutely it.

Traffic is horrendous to get into the soccer area and to find parking. A 10 minute drive on google maps turns out to be 45 minutes because of traffic to get in and to get to the actual lot. It takes another 30 minutes to an hour to find parking with families battling over spaces like a war zone.

The food stations are few with many having food sitting out all day that health officials would be concerned about. Many running out. The selection is very little and the team store barely has any sizes left and picked clean by afternoon the first day of the tournament.

There’s no shade on the field so be prepared for a sunny hot day or cold weather with the fog rolling in. The road in and out is completely dusty since it’s a dirt road and not paved so by the time you battle getting a parking space and hauling your stuff in you’re completely covered in dust.

No restrooms or hand wash stations except for port a potties that smell terrible with urine all over the floor.

This isn’t a tournament facility, it’s worst than our practice fields.

I hope they clean the place up. It’s $20/day for parking and $50 for 3 days just to park. All of the very limited food and drink items are overpriced.

A good business model tor profit while families get the short end of the stick.

The location of the tournament last year in Oceanside was...