The fields sit on airport property, which means any continued non-aviation use requires Federal Aviation Administration approval and must be tied to fair-market terms — either fair-market rent or a purchase at fair-market value. At a Nov. 4 City Commission workshop, Airport Manager Nathan Coyle said the city is in the middle of the FAA disposal process that would be required before Fernandina Beach could be eligible to buy the land.

Early indications put the value of the 11.64 acres at roughly $2.8 million to $3.5 million, Coyle told commissioners, though the appraisal review was still underway.

Several commissioners raised doubts about whether the city can afford the purchase, especially as officials also grapple with potential budget impacts tied to Amendment 3.

"I think now that we are faced with Amendment 3 reductions in funding that this is something I am not sure we can afford anymore," Commissioner Genece Minshew said. "I just don't see a path forward at this point with this kind of money."

Commissioner Joyce Tuten was blunter: "We're figuring out what services we are going to cut, and this is absolutely one we have to cut." She added that losing the fields would be "a real loss to the community."

On the sidelines, parents and players made signs and chanted in support of the complex. Cortnie Yeoman-Dargas, whose child plays in the program, said the fields have become a gathering place for local families.

"The moment you drive here and step on the field, you feel the love, you feel the community," she said. "You can't put a price to that."

Young players voiced their own worries. "I was very upset because the fields are important to all of us and I think that soccer is more important than money and planes landing," one said. Another added, "I was sad because I've been playing here for a long time."

Andy Francis, a coach with Amelia Island Youth Soccer and the competitive Nassau United program, said the complex is in constant use. "Any given day there can be two to three hundred kids out here. Sometimes more," he said. The club has about 800 kids in the program this season, ranging from 3 to 16 years old.

Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue said he wants to see the final appraisal number and explore ways to close the funding gap. "Maybe there's a big private donor out there… maybe… a lease purchase program," he said. Ayscue added that even if the city ultimately cannot keep soccer at Ybor Alvarez, residents should stay engaged as officials look for other locations.

If commissioners decide not to submit a disposal and purchase request to the FAA, the city says it will work with local sports organizations on a transition plan. Officials say the city has some capacity to expand the Hickory Street soccer fields and is working to secure an additional lease with the Nassau County School Board for land on Atlantic Avenue. The city also plans to add lighting to the Joe Velardi Softball Field to expand usable hours, along with additional expansion of the softball complex at the MLK Jr. Recreation Center.

The appraisal review is still underway. Once it is finished, the information is expected to return to the City Commission for discussion and direction on whether to pursue FAA disposal and a potential purchase.

For now, families say they will keep showing up — and keep pushing — to keep the fields in play.