Leinart football league to pay Irvine $63,000 in back fees for field use
A local youth flag football league has agreed to pay the city of Irvine more than $60,000 after city officials determined that the for-profit company incorrectly called itself a nonprofit to acquire lower field-use rates.
The Matt Leinart Flag Football League — named after the Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback — agreed to reimburse Irvine $63,640.
The amount represents the difference between rates for a for-profit company and a nonprofit, according to city spokesman Craig Reem.
Since 2010, the Leinart league has run programs in Irvine, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa and other Orange County cities, charging players up to $170 each.
Irvine officials determined that the league improperly used its nonprofit foundation to receive special field rental rates at city parks and the Great Park between April 2012 and May this year, according to an Orange County Register investigation. The foundation does not operate the league.
For three city parks, the league paid nothing; at the Great Park, it received a reduced rate. According to the Register, the company earned nearly $400,000 in participation fees during that time.
“We’re paying the additional fees, we’re in good standing with all of our paperwork and we’re happy to get back on the field and play football,” said Ryan Leinart, Matt’s brother and executive director of the nonprofit foundation and the for-profit company. “That’s what it’s all about for us — getting kids out there playing sports and enjoying life.”
This isn’t the only time the league has faced scrutiny involving its nonprofit foundation and discounts it received on publicly maintained fields.
In July, after Costa Mesa officials discovered that the league should have been paying a higher rate for using the Jack R. Hammett Sports Complex, the city charged the company $24,862 in back fees.
The same month, the City Council unanimously agreed to change city policy so that Leinart’s league could pay as little as $25 an hour per field. Before the change, the league could be charged as much as $239 an hour per field.
Critics decried the council’s decision, contending that the move rewards a deceptive company.
In early 2014, the league came under fire after aDaily Pilot investigationshowed the company was given priority by “senior leadership” at Costa Mesa City Hall to use the TeWinkle Park Athletic Complex. The decision effectively booted three nonprofit groups from their prime Friday night spots and aroused community outcry.
