Efforts to develop a multi-million dollar soccer complex south of the Capital City seems to be gaining steam.
The Cole County Commission was briefed on the development plans at its Tuesday meeting in hopes of getting the commissioners’ endorsement to bring the soccer complex to an area near the Special Olympics headquarters off Christy Drive.
Kyle Berendzen, a volunteer member of the board of United Capital City Soccer Club, told the commissioners the complex would have four to six fields located on nearly 21 acres in the area where an old rock quarry is currently located.
Berendzen said work on the project began roughly 2½ years ago, and it really started to come together in the last year.
“We have a little over $3 million in our pocket now,” Berendzen said. “We believe it will take $8.5 million to build four fields, $10.25 million to build six. We feel this will the town into a valuable sports destination, and this would be an economic engine for our city.”
Support for the project has come from the YMCA and Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Berendzen said they have, “multiple letters of intent to bring out-of-town tournaments here validating that if we build it, they will come.”
Berendzen said teams from nine surrounding states could be coming to the complex. He also said based on calculations by the CVB, this project could bring in $11.6 million in revenue in its first year of operation. Last year, the total sports revenue for Jefferson City was $6.5 million.
“Right now, our teams travel six to eight weeks every fall, going to Kansas or St. Louis, spending a lot of money every weekend,” Berendzen said. “We’d like to keep all that money here in our area and allowing families that can’t afford to travel every week a place to play competitive soccer.”
Berendzen said United Capital City Soccer, which is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization, plans to apply for tax credits with the Missouri Development Finance Board to help raise additional funds. To do that, they need a municipality, such as the county, to sponsor the tax credit application. Although the county would be representing the soccer group as a sponsor, there is no liability to the county, he said.
The executive director of Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership, the economic development consultant for Cole County, told commissioners the project could be an economic driver for the area.
When looking to improve economic development, JCREP executive officer Luke Holtschneider said, “It’s not just the industrial factor. We can also look at growth through community development efforts like what this project brings. It can grow revenue as well as the appearance and the attraction of Central Missouri.”
Holtschneider said the tax credits would allow the project’s donors to get 50 percent of a donation back in the form of a tax credit.
Holtschneider a draft application would be given to the Missouri Development Finance Board for feedback before a final form is submitted. The board can authorize $10 million in tax credits per year.
“Just get ready if you get this done because you’re gonna have several other groups saying they need something for volleyball, archery and basketball,” Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher told Berendzen.
“There’s plenty of room down there,” Berendzen said. “It’s going to be awesome and draw a lot of money into town.”