Des Moines is falling behind in youth soccer facilities ‘arms race’

Des Moines could generate millions of dollars from out-of-state visitors by expanding the James W. Cownie Soccer Park to attract the Midwest's biggest youth tournaments, local tourism officials say. 

When it opened in 1998, the south-side complex was at the forefront of youth sports facilities, but that's no longer the case. 

Cities like Indianapolis and St. Louis have constructed gargantuan youth sports complexes that offer tournament organizers more fields and options like artificial turf.  

“We’re falling behind,” said Ryan Vogt, the head of sports tourism at Catch Des Moines. “It’s just not big enough.”

And that's costing the city millions each year in lost tourism dollars, he said. 

One tournament alone — the 14-state, 200-team U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championship — could bring in $8.8 million for central Iowa hotels, restaurants and stores, Vogt said.

Des Moines hosted the weeklong tournament three times between 2003 and 2013, but recent attempts to bring it back to Iowa have fallen short, with U.S. Youth Soccer organizers opting for locations with more fields.  

That could change. Earlier this year, Des Moines approved a $72,900 study to find out how much it would cost to expand the 12-field Cownie Soccer Park. 

Des Moines needs to add at least 10 fields to compete for the bigger tournaments, said Dan Cataldi, the executive director of Iowa Soccer, a nonprofit group that represents 93 club programs and 35,000 athletes.

Additional parking and improvements to restrooms and concessions facilities are also needed, he said. 

The costs could added up. 

The Grand Park Sports Campus outside Indianapolis cost $50 million when it opened in 2014. The facility has 31 outdoor fields and hosts the coveted U.S. Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championship every other year. 

In Missouri, St. Louis County spent almost $14 million on 13 synthetic turf fields at the Creve Coeur Park Soccer Complex. It will partner with another park less than one mile away to host the Midwest Regional in 2021. Together, the sites have 21 fields.  

This year’s Midwest Regional host, the Saginaw (Michigan) Township Soccer Complex, had to borrow $100,000 to expand its parking lot to secure the tournament the first time it hosted in 2011. It also has 21 fields. 

Cataldi said Des Moines needs 22 fields — at least some with artificial turf — to compete for the bigger tournaments. 

“It's an arms race,” Vogt said. 

Des Moines estimates the Cownie Soccer Park brings in about $7 million a year to the local economy. Landing the Midwest Regional would more than double that in one week. 

For teams that make the finals, it's a weeklong affair, Cataldi said. Plus, teams will only play one game a day, so there’s plenty of downtime to eat out, visit attractions like the Science Center or Adventureland Park, or go shopping. 

“They can’t be here five days with nothing going on,” Cataldi said.

And they'll need places to sleep. Krysia Hannam, the director of Des Moines area sales for Heart of America Group, said families scoop up rooms when a big tournament comes to town. Her company owns several hotels in the metro area.

An unlike the NCAA Basketball Tournament, youth sports events usually bring entire families to town.

“We love seeing those big groups,” she said.

City Councilman Joe Gatto, who represents the south side, said he'd like to see more fields built south of the complex closer to Easter Lake with a trail connecting the older fields to the newer fields. 

“I’m hoping that’s what (the consultants) come back and tell us,” he said.

The study should be ready by the end of the summer.