LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- At Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex, you can almost feel it. As boys and girls cleat up to run drills on the bright green turf, it seems like soccer is booming in Louisville.
Simon Bird, the boys director of coaching with the Kentucky Fire Juniors club, watched as one group of children scrimmaged, while another coach helped another young athlete hone his goalkeeper skills.
"I think nationwide you're seeing soccer grow, which is huge," Bird said.
However, Bird said one thing is holding Louisville back a bit: The city doesn't have a suitable outdoor training complex.
That means training can't happen year-round. He says existing fields either don't have proper lighting or become water-logged and unusable after seasonal rains. The lack of practice fields also means the city can't host big regional tournaments and score the tourism money that comes along with them.
"Cincinnati can host these huge events. Indianapolis can. St. Louis can. I think it's about time we did, to be honest," Bird said. "Just the money that these events can bring in from a tourism standpoint — hotels, food and just bringing people into the city — I think it's something that I'm sure the folks at Louisville City have thought about."
The owners of Louisville City FC are aware of the problem and are proposing a solution: a six-field practice complex on an elevated portion of nearby Champions Park. The complex, which would be built atop the old landfill there, would include two grass fields for the soon-to-come National Women's Soccer League team and four artificial turf fields for youth teams such as Bird's.
.@loucityfc & partners just unveiled a plan to transform part of Champions Park into a 6-field practice complex. The investment would total about $12 million and wouldn’t require public $$. It would be used by @NWSLLouisville and would also be available for youth clubs. @WDRBNews pic.twitter.com/Gz8k5qbXMP
— Chad K. Mills (@ChadKMills) February 13, 2020
"We're very fortunate to have something like this, but to be able to train outdoors in November, December, January, or the option to train outdoors, would be amazing," said Bird.
Councilman Bill Hollander, D-9, has written the ordinance that would allow Louisville City FC to lease the land. If it passes, club owners would pay for the upgrades.
"I'll want to see the contract to make sure that those youth leagues are going to have access and equal access to the facility," said Hollander.
Louisville Metro Council voted unanimously Thursday in favor of the estimated $12 million project at Champions Park, which is being funded by Louisville City FC. (WDRB Photo)
But, Hollander said, by every indication, it's likely a win-win.
"I think there's a general consensus in the community that we are behind in terms of providing facilities for youth leagues that can attract tourism and serve the people who are living here," he said.
A young goalkeeper trains at Mockingbird Valley Sports Complex. (WDRB Photo)
If all goes as planned, the site could transform by spring 2021. According to Tim Mulloy, a developer behind the project and a part owner of the team, 15,000 young people play soccer in the greater Louisville area.
Copyright 2020 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
