Houston Sports Park

Houston Sports Park
HSP
Type	Municipal (Houston, Texas)
Coordinates	29°38′17″N95°23′45″W / 29.638086°N 95.395932°W / 29.638086; -95.395932
Area	117.96 acres
Opened	2011 (formerly known as Houston Amateur Sports Park) [1]
Operated by	City of Houston Houston Dynamo Houston Parks Board
Visitors	5,381 hours of use(in 2017)
Open	8:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Status	Open all year
Parking	Over 400 vehicles [2]
Public transit access	87 Sunnyside / TMC [3]
Website	www.houstonsportspark.com

Houston Sports Park is an urban park that serves as a multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility in the Five Corners District of Houston near the neighborhood of City Park. Houston Sports Park (HSP) houses Aveva Stadium, which is the home of the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby and is the training ground of the Houston Dynamo, Houston Dash and its academy teams. The facility is made up of the Memorial Hermann Champions Field, ^[1] one artificial turf field, and five additional grass fields.

Description

The campus building is a single-story building which houses Athlete Training + Health (18,505 sq. feet) along with a 7,000 sq. foot tenant suite for the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine (home to the physicians for the Houston Dynamo, Texans, Astros, Rodeo and Ballet). The Methodist Center for Sports Medicine features a HydroWorx 1200 advanced underwater treadmill pool. Additionally, there is 5,125 square foot permanent training center for the Houston Dynamo.

The completed portion currently in use is known as Phase One of the construction project that began in 2011. Fundraising for Phase Two is underway which will provide seven more lighted fields, restroom pavilion, misting stations, picnic facilities, trails, playground and additional parking. The estimated cost to complete the complex is $12 million. ^[4]

History

Planning

Aerial view of a portion of the park in 2017

When the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer relocated to Houston to become the Houston Dynamo in 2005, team ownership Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), expressed a strong desire to have both a permanent stadium and training facility. While pursuing what would become BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston Sports Park was simultaneously planned and constructed.

Initially, the city-owned Gus Wortham Golf Course in Houston's East End was proposed to be re-purposed for use. ^[5] However, Houston Mayor Bill White and district councilwoman Carol Alvarado soon publicly opposed the idea, and attention shifted elsewhere. ^[6] By late 2007, the city began looking to relatively undeveloped south Houston to acquire land, and two sites along the South Freeway (at Airport Boulevard and Almeda-Genoa Road) were considered. ^{[7] [8]}

Funding and construction

Throughout 2008, the City of Houston purchased several adjoining tracts of land adjacent to the Houston Community College South Campus and parallel to the South Freeway at Airport Boulevard, and re-platted it as "Houston Amateur Sports Park" the following year. On June 25, 2008, the City of Houston and the Houston Dynamo officially announced plans for a 100-acre, 18-field park to the public. ^[9] The following day, a public event where Mayor Bill White and other city officials were in attendance, was held at the nearby Houston Community College South Campus. ^[10] On December 16, 2009, the city awarded a US$4.2 million contract to South Coast Construction, Inc. to build a new portion of Kirby Drive from Airport Boulevard to nearby Sims Bayou throughout the park. ^[11]

On November 9, 2011, the City of Houston created a municipally owned corporation called the "Houston Amateur Sports Park LGC" to build, manage, and operate the Sports Park land as a recreational sports field and training facility for the public and community. ^[12] The local government corporation is managed by an eleven-member board nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the city council.

On May 28, 2014, the City of Houston acquired 32 more adjoining acres to add to the park. ^[13]

Further additions

On February 7, 2018, the City of Houston agreed to fund $3.2 million of the $15.25 million needed to build Aveva Stadium at Houston Sports Park for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. ^[14] The stadium was completed in April 2019 and has a capacity for 4,000 spectators. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. Ortiz, Jose de Jesus (July 6, 2011). "Dynamo open new practice facility on Kirby Drive". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved August 8, 2014.
2. "Ground Maps & Parking". Houston Sports Park. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
3. "HSP maps and directions". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
4. "Houston Sports Park". Houston Parks Board. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
5. Stiles, Matt; Rodriguez, Lori (February 7, 2007). "Officials consider permanent home for Dynamo". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
6. Snyder, Mike (February 21, 2007). "Mayor won't back ditching Gus Wortham Golf Course". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
7. Murphy, Bill; Fallas, Bernardo (November 20, 2007). "Dynamo stadium deal only weeks away". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
8. Fallas, Bernardo; Murphy, Bill; Feibel, Carolyn (January 9, 2009). "Houston steps closer to new Dynamo stadium". Houston Chronicle .
9. "Plans for amateur sports complex released". Houston Chronicle . June 25, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
10. Fallas, Bernardo (June 26, 2008). "Dynamo exec says he's optimistic about stadium" . Retrieved March 6, 2019.
11. "Affirmative Action and Contract Compliance S/MWDBE Participation Report" (PDF). City of Houston. December 16, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
12. "City of Houston: Local Government Corporations Presentation" (PDF). April 29, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
13. "City Council Chamber, City Hall" (PDF). City of Houston. May 28, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
14. Schneider, Andrew (February 7, 2018). "Houston City Council Approved $3.2 Million Deal To Build A New Rugby Stadium". Houston Public Media . Retrieved April 7, 2018.
15. Morris, Mike (February 5, 2018). "Houston City Council to consider $3.2M stadium deal with SaberCats rugby team". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved April 7, 2018.
16. "City of Houston sign off on a New Rugby Stadium in deal with Major League Rugby Team Houston SaberCats" (Press release). Houston SaberCats. February 8, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.