By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com
KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Wyandotte County will be home to a new U.S. Soccer National Training Center.
The $75 million project, announced tonight at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., will be located at 98th Street and Parallel Parkway.
The facility will include a 100,000-square-foot indoor facility and practice field, along with eight professional "smart fields" and eight youth fields.
A 125-room full service hotel will also be included in the development.
“This is a great opportunity for us to continue to grow soccer in Kansas City and further establish being the soccer capital of America,” Sporting Club CEO Robb Heineman said. “To us, this is equivalent to bringing another sports franchise here, with the ultimate goal of helping the United States win the World Cup through youth soccer development, coaching training, advanced sports science and world-class facilities. We would like to thank Governor Brownback, Secretary of Commerce George, Mayor Holland and the rest of the Unified Government. This has been a long and complex process thus far, but we’re excited for the vision of the project and to help bring substantial economic development to the area.”
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said the development can help make Kansas the top destination when it comes to soccer.
"It's a fabulous and phenomenal opportunity," Brownback said. "It allows us to lay claim at being the epicenter for soccer in the United States."
The new development could generate over $1 billion worth of economic development over the next 30 years, Brownback said.
“Kansas’ strong economy and Kansas City’s reputation as a tremendous soccer city helped attract this state-of-the-art facility,” Brownback said. “As a result, our state will benefit from new jobs, investment and an economic impact that is projected to exceed $1 billion.”
Unified Government Mayor/CEO Mark Holland said the development will continue the recent momentum Kansas City, Kan., has had economically.
"This high quality training facility with structured programming along with Sporting Park, state-of-the-art soccer stadium, will undoubtedly transform Kansas City, Kan., and our region into one of the top soccer venues in the nation," Holland said. "We look forward to the new partnership with U.S. Soccer and the continued relationship with the Governor and the Department of Commerce, Sporting Club and Schlitterbahn as we continue to expound on the success of economic development projects in our community.”
