Scheels gains naming rights for new Springfield sports complex at Legacy Pointe
A multiuse sports facility that is under development on Springfield's south side will be known as Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe.
The sporting goods giant earned the naming rights in an announcement Wednesday.
The terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
Scheels opened its Legacy Pointe store in 2011.
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The sports complex will include eight synthetic turf multi-purpose fields that can be configured into 14 baseball and softball fields or eight full-size soccer and lacrosse fields.
A 160,000-square-foot indoor dome will house year-round sports and one of the multi-purpose turf fields.
The 95-acre facility was projected to cost $65 million and construction is planned to start in the spring.
It is scheduled to open in the summer of 2023.
Scheels putting its name on the project, said Ryan McCrady, president & CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance, is "a significant shot in the arm for moving forward for the private investment that is being assembled. Scheels is obviously a leader in their industry. They're an anchor tenant near the sports complex and they know a thing or two about sports.
"Having their name attached to this shows their confidence that the project is going to be successful, and it will be a magnet to attract other private investment going forward."
Legacy Pointe Development Company partners Stephen Luker and Dirk McCormick are behind the project, which received Springfield City Council approval in May.
Legacy Pointe Development has partnered with Clearwater, Florida-based Sports Facilities Companies to plan and develop the complex. A Sports Facilities sister company will manage the facility which is expected to host 60- to 100-team tournaments on weekends.
![The Legacy Pointe development could be the future site of a new sports complex in a 95-acre development with flexible, multi-use indoor and outdoor facilities, but it would require a public subsidy to get off the ground. The Legacy Pointe development started more than a decade ago with plans for an outlet mall, boutique shops, outdoor entertainment venues, restaurants and eventually residential subdivisions, but has only seen Scheels anchoring a handful of businesses at the development. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/R6BJcHfRdZpy71VmKrGtHw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-state-journal-register/55cb1df3fc8223cfd4f8dfb3b7445df4)
The sports park will also include local programming for Springfield residents with a focus on weekday play, sports and summer camps, and local tournaments as well as collaborative opportunities for existing sports organizations in the region.
Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the sports complex had the potential of bringing in 250,000 new visitors along with about $30 million in new spending each year to the city.
Earlier: Legacy Pointe Sports Complex called 'a generational-changing development'
The city's funding for the complex would come from a 1% increase in the hotel/motel tax, which would be solely dedicated to the development, and a rebate on the city's portion of sales tax collected at Legacy Pointe above a baseline amount.
“Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe will drive tourism and serve as an important local quality of life asset, which are both vital in positioning our community for robust economic growth," McCrady said.
An employee with Legacy Pointe Development said Luker was traveling on Wednesday. He did not immediately respond to a message from The State Journal-Register.
McCrady said the plan is still for the facility to be built in phases, with the outdoor segment coming first.
Developers are in the final phases of the design of the complex, McCrady said, and also are going through all of the local government oversight for the city, Sangamon County and Regional Planning Commission.
McCrady said the developers are also finalizing and putting together their financing and capital.
"From the outside, it doesn't look like there's anything going on, but on the inside, there are two very important steps going on at the same time," McCrady said. "I think (the developers) feel good about the timeline.
"When you consider the city council approved the developers' agreement in May and they're looking at breaking ground in the spring (of 2022), that's pretty quick. This has been an expected timeframe. I'm satisfied with the pace."
A spokesperson from Scheels' corporate office did not immediately return a phone call.
In a news release from the Growth Alliance, Scheels CEO Steve M. Scheel said that investing in local communities is part of the company's drive.
“We take great pride in serving others and are committed to improving the lives of youth athletes everywhere," Scheel said. "It was only natural we do our part to bring this transformational project to life near our Springfield store."
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, [email protected], twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Scheels gains naming rights for a new Springfield sports complex
