MY HOMETOWN

MEET EDDIE VANDIVER - SANTEE RESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER AT SPORTSPLEX USA

I first met Eddie back in 2014 when I started working for the Santee Chamber. He was a Director, serving as the current Chair of the Board, and was instantly a friend. His kind demeanor and fun-loving attitude made for easy conversations as I got to know him. After serving on our Board from 2010-2016, he’s continued his chamber involvement in many ways. Keeping the Santee Sportsplex’s membership a priority, he has often been the host of networking mixers and kickball tournaments for our group and other neighboring chambers. Personally, he has also donated his time and talent to us as a regular MC at events like the Taste of Santee and our annual Business Awards Night.

For those who don’t know, managing our local Sportsplex is a big undertaking… with over 350,000 people visiting each year, this has been a premier destination in town since 2010, with Eddie serving as General Manager since their opening day. The park is owned by the City of Santee and is part of Town Center Community Park. Sportsplex USA has a long term contract to operate and maintain the 15 acres inside of the fence lines. They proudly host youth soccer leagues that serve over 700 kids ranging in age from 3-17 and all levels of play, roughly 85% of these players are Santee residents, truly showcasing a regional value as they offer four full seasons of play each year. In addition to their regular soccer leagues, they host several travel tournaments for baseball and softball throughout the year and especially on major holiday weekends.

Eddie takes great pride in calling Santee his home. His wife, Natalie, works as a Registered Dental Hygienist at a family-owned dental office in town and is a former “Queen” having held the Miss La Mesa title in 1999. It’s no surprise their daughter, Maddie, then became Junior Miss Santee in 2021, following in her mother’s footsteps. Maddie takes dance classes at Expression Dance here in Santee, and also plays soccer at the Sportsplex with her little brother, Eddie III.