St. Louis County unveiled plans for a soccer complex to be located on Creve Coeur Park that will cover 122 acres with 13 full size soccer fields that is projected to open in the fall of 2017. The hopes is that the complex will allow St. Louis County to host tournaments on a national and state level.
No doubt the plans would also help show Major League Soccer that St. Louis and the surrounding area is a hotbed for soccer and would be a perfect fit for league expansion over the next few years as the professional league hopes to add eight new teams in the near future.
The Highlights:
13 full size, lighted artificial turf fields, including one championship field with bleacher seating for 500 spectators and 2 youth-sized fields.
Main building with locker rooms and tournament meeting rooms
Satellite facility with restrooms and concessions
Gated and expanded parking lot for 1,500 cars
$14 million facility – funding provided by the Convention and Visitor’s Commission
County projections indicate that within three years of opening a total of 21 tournaments a year will be held at this facility, with total expected attendance of 132,800, generating 39,000 room nights at area hotels. The demand for regional and national tournaments is expected to nearly double in the next 5 years.
“This complex will provide an ideal location for regional and national amateur soccer tournaments,” County Executive Steve Stenger said. “This facility, in combination with nearby soccer complexes, will allow St. Louis County to compete on a national level to host these tournaments, in a way we never have before.”
Research indicates most visitors will travel from within a 5-hour drive radius, which includes cities such as: Kansas City, Chicago, Cedar Rapids, Indianapolis, Memphis and Louisville. The county estimates the net economic impact of this project is estimated at $7.7 million yearly and is expected to create 67 jobs once it’s fully operational.
