Local officials, developers, and athletes broke ground on a major sports complex in Springfield on Wednesday that has been projected to attract thousands of families.
The 70-acre multisport SCHEELS Sports Park at Legacy Pointe will be located behind the SCHEELS superstore on South MacArthur Boulevard in Springfield – just north of the Interstate 72 interchange.
The park is a public-private development funded by the developers, private investors, and a portion of the City of Springfield’s local hotel-motel tax and sales tax.
Other local government bodies – such as Springfield District 186, Sangamon County, the Springfield Park District, SMEAA Board, SMTD, Springfield Airport Authority, Lincoln Land Community College, and Capital Township – also took action that allowed this project to move forward.
Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher noted:
“This complex will bring a lot of families, revenue, and excitement to the city and the region. It will enhance the quality of life in our community, and all of the additional hotel room nights, restaurant meals, and shopping will be a major boost to our economy. This sports park makes Springfield a destination in a new way, and my hope is that many of our new visitors will also enjoy our historical sites and arts opportunities while they’re here.”
CEO Ryan McCrady of the SSGA, in turn, stated:
“We are excited to see construction begin on this transformative complex. We believe this once-in-a-generation project will become the best youth sports destination in Illinois. On behalf of the business community, I want to thank all of the city and county officials and other local leaders who made this possible, and we tip our caps to Steve Luker and Dirk McCormick, the Legacy Pointe developers who had the vision for this.”
The park is a public-private development funded by the developers, private investors, and
Construction is set to begin immediately, and the facility is currently scheduled to open for competition and tournaments in 2025.
You can learn more about how you or your company can become a partner in this project at www.Legacypointe.net.
Major aspects of the complex include:
• A 190,000-square-foot indoor dome that can be configured at different times for basketball
courts, volleyball courts, a soccer field, performance and turf training areas.
• Outdoor facilities will include lighted, multipurpose turf fields for baseball, softball, football and
soccer fields.In addition to the tournaments that will be hosted at the sports park on the weekends, several local user groups have already signed up to utilize the facilities, including Springfield District 186, the Springfield Park District, Springfield Area Soccer Association – SASA – and The Hitting Center.
