City kicks off opening of $27 million multipurpose sports facility

Published on May 18, 2017 under RRnews

The City of Round Rock on May 18 held a grand opening ceremony for the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, a 60-acre, $27-million addition to Old Settlers Park. Featuring two championship fields and eight multipurpose fields, the Complex is expected to draw thousands of players and spectators annually for various types of sporting events.

The unconventional ribbon cutting ceremony featured City Councilmembers kicking soccer balls through a ribbon in front of a goal.

“This is a landmark addition that complements and greatly enhances the existing features of Old Settlers Park,” Mayor Alan McGraw said. “This investment ultimately serves our residents in two ways: by offering a great amenity for our youth to practice and play, and by attracting tournaments that bring thousands of people to support local Round Rock businesses by shopping, dining, and spending the night.”

The facility will host a variety of sports, including soccer, lacrosse, rugby, ultimate frisbee, flag football and more. Of the two championship fields in the complex, one is a natural-grass field and the other is a synthetic-turf field. Four of the multipurpose fields are also natural grass, and the other four have synthetic turf. Spectator amenities include a playground, permanent seating with shade structures for 250 people on each of the championship fields, plus options to add portable seating. The complex also has 938 parking spaces and a clubhouse with concessions and restrooms.

The multipurpose fields are already being used weekday evenings by Round Rock residents to practice and play with their local teams. The City will also promote the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex as a state-of-the-art venue for major sports tournaments to be used on the weekends, with money spent in the community by out-of-town visitors generating sales tax revenue that helps fund City services.

The Round Rock Multipurpose Complex enables Round Rock to attract a whole new set of sporting events to the community. The venue is already pre-booked with more than 20 events this year, and more in 2018.

“The flexibility of this new sports complex allows us to bid on and host a significantly wider range of regional, national and international sporting events,” said Chad McKenzie, City Director of Sports Management and Tourism. “The Round Rock Multipurpose Complex is another strong pillar of our Sports Capital of Texas brand.”

Soccer complex project

In addition to completing construction of the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex, the City also recently broke ground on the soccer complex project also in Old Settlers Park. Five existing soccer fields are under renovation to create two multipurpose fields and three individual soccer fields—one full-sized field and two youth fields—all with natural grass.

As part of the project, the existing topsoil and sod will be replaced, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades will be added to the complex. This project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.