How will I know if my request was received?
In almost all cases, the primary contact for the request will receive an email acknowledging that the Parks Scheduling Office received the request. If there will be a delay in processing, it will usually be noted at that time, too.
How will I know if I can use the field time that I have requested?
As soon as field availability is determined for your request, you will be contacted via email with updates. Once finalized, a Field Agreement will be sent out via email, so that you have proof of reservation to take to the field with you. Review it, the email to which it is attached, and other attached files, since they all contain important information.
How does the City decide if the field time requested will be reserved for my group?
In general, requests are processed in the order received based on field availability at that time. For ongoing league use, however, there is an allocation process to determine what fields are available and will be scheduled for each group requesting field time. The allocation process will begin for each season based on the submission deadlines listed on Request Submission Deadlines.
What are the steps in the Allocation Process?
Step 1 – Availability:
The City determines what field time is available for community use by reviewing what field time is needed by City of Bellevue programs, since those programs have priority over community use. The remaining timeslots are available for community use.
Step 2 – Demand:
The City creates a list of user groups wanting field time. For each group requesting fields, the City documents the number of participants and the Bellevue Residency Percentage to determine the total number of Bellevue residents requesting fields.
Step 3 - Fair Share:
The City divides the number of available field slots by the number of Bellevue residents requesting field time to determine the Field Allocation Rate, which is the amount of field time to reserve for each Bellevue resident. The Allocation Rate is then multiplied by the number of Bellevue residents for each group to determine the amount of field time per week for each group. Sometimes this process is done multiple times to take into account the variety of requests received (different date ranges for a single season or some days of the week/fields with less availability or demand). In simplified terms, once we determine how big the scheduling “pie” is and how many participants need to “share the pie,” we know how “big each piece of pie” should be for everyone to get the same amount of field time per participant.
For the mathematicians:
# of participants X % of Bellevue residents = # of Bellevue residents for the organization
# of available field slots ÷ # of Total Bellevue participants requesting fields = Field Allocation Rate
# of Bellevue residents for organization X Field Allocation Rate = # of field slots per organization
Step 4 – Allocation:
Once the City knows how much field time each group should get, we still need to determine what fields, days, and timeslots each group should get. Several factors are taken into consideration. Some of these factors are:
- Field Configuration and Size – Based on the sports and age groups requesting time.
- Field Quality – Games have more priority on the higher quality fields, especially during the peak season.
- Field Location - Geographic location and/or boundaries of the organizations, where practical.
- Historical use – guideline only, not a guarantee.
NOTE: Field availability, demand, and demographics are subject to change annually.