Houston Sports Park is an

urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to r ...

that serves as a multi-purpose sports and entertainment facility in the Five Corners District of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

near the neighborhood of

City Park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

. Houston Sports Park (HSP) houses Aveva Stadium, which is the home of the

Houston SaberCats The Houston SaberCats are an American professional rugby union team based in Houston, Texas. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby, the top-level rugby union competition in the United States and Canada that played its f ...

of Major League Rugby and is the

training ground A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...

of the Houston Dynamo,

Houston Dash The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC. History Establishment On November ...

and its academy teams. The facility is made up of the Memorial Hermann Champions Field, 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.

History

Planning

When the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer relocated to Houston to become the Houston Dynamo in 2005, team ownership

Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...

(AEG), expressed a strong desire to have both a permanent stadium and training facility. While pursuing what would become

BBVA Compass Stadium Shell Energy Stadium (formerly BBVA Compass Stadium, BBVA Stadium, then PNC Stadium) is an American multi-purpose stadium located in Houston, Texas that is home to Houston Dynamo FC, a Major League Soccer club, the Houston Dash of the Nation ...

, 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. However, Houston Mayor Bill White and district councilwoman

Carol Alvarado Carol Alvarado (born October 26, 1967) is the state senator for Texas's 6th state senate district. The district includes southeast Houston, and portions of Pasadena. She is a member of the Democratic Party. On December 11, 2018, Alvarado won a spe ...

soon publicly opposed the idea, and attention shifted elsewhere. 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.

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. 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 Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for active ...

South Campus. 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. On November 9, 2011, the City of Houston created a

municipally owned corporation A municipally owned corporation is a corporation owned by a municipality. They are typically "organisations with independent corporate status, managed by an executive board appointed primarily by local government officials, and with majority public ...

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. 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.

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

of Major League Rugby. The stadium was completed in April 2019 and has a capacity for 4,000 spectators.

Description

History

Planning

Funding and construction

Further additions

References

See also