The construction of new facilities across the city sustains the marked progress for Lincoln when it comes to meeting the needs of a growing youth sports market. Lincoln continues to host numerous youth sports tournaments, with teams from around the Midwest looking to take to the courts and fields in the Capital City throughout the year.
Speedway Village, Lincoln’s newest sports complex, has gradually continued to expand since it first opened in 2015. First, came the 100,000 square foot indoor fieldhouse, designed with soccer in mind, centering around a 70-yard turf field. Next, came nine grass soccer fields that makeup a large portion of this complex. Then, it was time to open the basketball/volleyball building.
This 80,000 square foot building was designed to impress any basketball player. The facility has eight basketball courts, which can be converted into 12 volleyball courts. The courts are divided with two college regulation side basketball courts on one side, separated by concession stands and bathroom areas from the other six courts. There is a mezzanine viewing area on top of these areas, as well as above the main entrance to the two large concourses. For those who prefer to be closer to the action, bleacher seating exists along the courts.
Speedway Village can also accommodate many other sports besides basketball and volleyball. Indoor sporting events include soccer, football, ultimate disc, training, roller sports and many others. In June and July 2018, Speedway Village hosted USA Roller Sports national championship events, bringing in thousands of visitors to Lincoln for the competitions. The location also provides services for weddings, conferences, trade shows and other similar events for bigger groups.
Standard scoreboards would not have been adequate for a facility of this caliber, so state-of-the-art digital displays fill the venue with simple to use technology, housed on iPads controlling them. Speedway Village is perfectly set on the edge of Lincoln, located on West Van Dorn Street and provides easy access to the facility from highways and the interstate, with plenty of free parking available on the grounds. With 55 acres, only time will tell what sport will next be introduced to this robust, sprawling complex just minutes from downtown Lincoln.
Meanwhile, the soon-to-be completed Lincoln Sports Facility is a multiuse development consisting of a basketball and volleyball indoor sports complex. Located within the West O Street redevelopment area, the sports complex is a 93,500 square foot indoor sports facility that will house eight basketball courts which convert to 12 volleyball courts, a 5,000-square-foot performance training center and a 15,000 square foot multi-purpose mezzanine. The primary goal of the facility, built by Manzitto Construction and set to open in October 2019, is to provide a fun and safe sports facility for youth of all ages in the community to take part in year-round athletics.
The facility will be the home of the Supreme Court Basketball and Volleyball Club Nebraska youth sports clubs. They will host more than 4,500 K-12 athletes from all over Nebraska each year. In addition, the Supreme Court Basketball league currently hosts seven local and regional tournaments and with the new facility, will be able to add three to four more tournaments each year and will have the ability to add more camps and private lessons. The Volleyball Club Nebraska will be able to host up to seven regional and two national tournaments each year.
In addition to housing the two youth clubs, the Lincoln Sports Facility will host events and programs for the broader community, such as the Special Olympics, Cornhusker State Games events, corporate events, camps, youth groups, fitness classes, faith organizations and other community events. More than 100 coaching jobs, 20-30 site support positions and between 75-100 officiating jobs per tournament will be created, providing additional part time employment opportunities for the community. The new host facility will also have a broader economic impact on the city of Lincoln and surrounding area by increasing the number of visitors to Lincoln through additional tournaments and events.
Lincoln’s continued growth means that more sports clubs and teams need space to hold practices, competitions and the ability to host tournaments to remain competitive with peers from across the state, region and country. With a growing demand showing no signs of slowing down, both Speedway Village and the Lincoln Sports Facility will be able to accommodate many different types of tournaments and sports-related gatherings, ushering in a new benefit to the community that has been largely untapped in previous years.
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