Youth soccer groups are planning to protest Levi's Stadium's smoking section, which they claim is too close to playing fields.
The demonstration planned for Saturday is the latest in a growing fight between the San Francisco 49ers and several Santa Clara youth soccer leagues over fields next to Levi's Stadium.
Both sides squared off last week at a city council meeting over the fields. It now appears a $15 million proposal by the 49ers to take over the soccer field is off the table.
The 49ers last week went before the city council proposing a 60-year lease deal for the fields, with plans to eventually convert the 11 acres into VIP parking for the stadium.
But in the face of protests by youth soccer leagues, the council decided not to go into a scheduled closed-door meeting to discuss it. Instead, the council wants to come up with a new process to consider offers for the fields.
Councilmember Lisa Gillmor on Wednesday said the 49ers current offer has no future.
"That offer is dead," Gillmor said. "That doesn't mean they can't come back with something new -- and I expect that they will -- but at the moment that offer is dead."
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During an interview with NBC Bay Area, Gillmor played a voice mail message from 49ers Executive Al Guido, who was asking to meet for lunch to discuss the issue.
Team spokesman Bob Lange confirmed Guido made the call, but said it was to keep communication open and to offer assistance.
Lange declined to say if the 49ers plan to make another offer. He said the team would wait until the city set up its new process.
Meanwhile, the youth soccer leagues said they have decided to confront the 49ers and the city over a stadium smoking area.
The soccer groups said they have been complaining for week about a stadium restaurant smoking area set up right by the field.
The group plans to hold signs and put on gauze masks Saturday during a scheduled concert at Levi's Stadium.
"Can't the 49ers move the smoking section somewhere else? It's a big stadium, it's a big lot," said Gabe Foo, a board member for the soccer league. "Why do they have to put the smoking section right next to the soccer facility and right next to the kids?"
The 49ers said the smoking that took place was more than a month ago and an accident. The team insists the smoking section has bee moved -- something the soccer leagues dispute
