SCHEELS Sports Park Announces General Manager

Construction on the $60+ million park continues with completion date planned for 2025

SPRINGFIELD – As construction continues, SCHEELS Sports Park developers and The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) announce the hiring of a general manager, Brandon Doherty, who will oversee the operations of the planned 70-acre multisport outdoor and indoor sports park, which will be located behind the SCHEELS superstore on South MacArthur Boulevard in Springfield, just north of the Interstate 72 interchange.

Doherty comes to Springfield from Starkville, MS where he served as the general manager of the Cornerstone Sports Complex.

“We are so excited to have recruited Brandon to Springfield to hit the ground running so that when the sports park opens, we are ready to serve our local athletes during the week and welcome thousands of families and their kids to the capital city to play and watch the sports they love and bring a giant boost to our local hotels and businesses,” said Dirk McCormick, SCHEELS Sports Park developer.

“I am thrilled to be in Springfield and I’m already rolling up my sleeves to help make this the best sports park in the region,” said Doherty, general manager of the SCHEELS Sports Park. “I have seen how these sport complexes can transform communities, and I am excited to help in all the ways I can getting things set up so we’re ready to play in 2025.”

Doherty is an accomplished leader in the parks and recreation industry with over 15 years of experience as a director, educator and coach. He has a master’s degree in recreation administration from Aurora University and has served as an instructor at the Outdoor Wisconsin Leadership School and helped launch a leadership school in Carlisle, PA.

Since the groundbreaking at the sports park site last year, many local crews have been working hard to prepare the ground and install more than two miles of underground watermain, storm and sanitary sewer. This month and as long as weather permits, crews will begin work on the foundation for the Springfield Clinic DOME, parking lots, fields and electric work.

The park is a public-private development funded by the developers, private investors, and a portion of the City of Springfield’s local hotel-motel tax and sales tax. Other local government bodies (Springfield District 186, Sangamon County, Springfield Park District, SMEAA Board, SMTD, Springfield Airport Authority, Lincoln Land Community College and Capital Township) also took action that allowed this project to move forward.

In addition to many private sponsors and donors, the top private donors for this project include Pinnacle Partners, SCHEELS and Springfield Clinic. Springfield Clinic will serve as the official health and performance partner. The next level, Vision Partners, includes Bank of Springfield and Mammoth Sports Construction.

Since the sports park groundbreaking, construction has already begun on a new hotel, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, at Legacy Pointe. It will be located next to the SCHEELS Sports Complex. The multi-million-dollar hotel will have 91 rooms with amenities for families and business travelers.

“We are so grateful for all of the work that continues to happen in this remarkable public-private partnership to make this sports park a reality for Springfield,” Misty Buscher, Springfield mayor. “I believe this sports park and the families it will bring to our beautiful city will be a boost to our local businesses, economy and we will all get to enjoy everything that this sports park will bring to the capital city.”

Springfield area athletes and their families should anticipate usage of the DOME and outdoor fields after their completion, which is planned for Fall 2025. Tournaments will be planned to begin in Spring 2026.

SCHEELS SPORTS PARK:

Major aspects of the complex include:

• A 190,000-square-foot indoor dome that can be configured at different times for basketball courts, volleyball courts, a soccer field, performance and turf training areas.
• Outdoor facilities will include lighted, multipurpose turf fields for baseball, softball, football and soccer fields.

In addition to the tournaments that will be hosted at the sports park on the weekends, there are several local user groups that have already signed up to utilize the facilities including Springfield District 186, the Springfield Park District, Springfield Area Soccer Association (SASA) and The Hitting Center.

You can learn more about how you or your company can become a partner in this project at www.legacypointe.net.