Colorado Springs Begins Fundraising for 61-Acre Youth Sports Complex | Sports Destination Management

Colorado Springs Begins Fundraising for 61-Acre Youth Sports Complex

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Oct 07, 2015 | By: Tracey Schelmetic

Colorado Springs, the home of all things Olympic (after all, it’s the HQ of the USOC), just served notice that it’s about to become a haven for youth sports as well. And considering the facility it’s planning, the city is not kidding around.

Colorado Springs recently unveiled plans for a youth sports complex on the north side of the city that will serve as a premier venue for youth sports such as baseball, soccer, softball, lacrosse and basketball. The facility, which is to be called the Scott Hall Field of Dreams to honor an area volunteer coach who died three years ago, will cover 61 acres and cost $20 million for the first phase alone. The City of Colorado Springs already owns the land, but fundraising efforts are underway now to raise the rest of the money needed, according to a recent article by Stephen Hobbs writing for local newspaper The Gazette.

"We want the amenities to be state of the art, we want our youth playing on fields that are top of the line," said Craig Ochs, executive director of the organization behind the project. "And we want this to be a place the city of Colorado Springs is proud of for many years to come."

As a side note, recent research conducted by Utah State University found that youth sports-oriented families are spending as much as 10.5 percent of family income on dues, fees, travel, transportation and equipment for youth athletes.

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