Chesterfield Sports Association (CSA) has finalized its purchase of a 10.87 plot of land at 150 N. Eatherton Road in Chesterfield Valley for the future home of St. Louis’ first world-class, indoor volleyball and basketball complex.
Keystone Construction Company has begun sitework in preparation for construction, targeting an early 2023 opening.
The multi-court, 97,000-SF fieldhouse will attract an estimated 900,000 visitors each year to its clinics, camps, leagues and tournaments. More than 1,000 youth athletes will practice and train during the week and over 2,500 athletes will play in league and tournament games each weekend.
CSA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, will own and operate the facility, which will fill a major need for court space in St. Louis.
“This is much more than an athletic center, it is a “life” center and a place these young athletes can call “home,” said Stuart Duncan, president of Chesterfield Sports Association.
“Along with giving young basketball and volleyball athletes a location to play their sports, our mission is to offer them a place to gain confidence, trust, self-esteem and good health. We look forward to announcing exciting partnerships that will enhance the facility in the coming months.”
Keystone Construction will construct the unique structure using 80-foot wide column spacing to accommodate basketball courts, a second-floor mezzanine for game viewing and full food service operations.
Nine basketball courts will convert to 18 volleyball courts and be equipped with Olympic level flooring, professional-grade LED lighting and HD/4K streaming cameras. Additional amenities include a fitness area, comfortable spectator seating courtside, lounge areas and multipurpose rooms for team rooms, meetings and classes.
The sports complex will offer a full range of youth sports services and amenities to develop student-athletes to meet their fullest potential. Approximately 80 percent of available court time will be used by the primary partners, including High Performance Volleyball - STL, Stratman Sports and CNR Basketball. The remaining hours of court time will be available for rental.
In addition to hosting volleyball and basketball clinics, camps, leagues and tournaments, the facility could be used for pickleball, futsal, wrestling, dance, cheer and other sports as space is available.
The sports complex will generate jobs for coaches, referees, trainers, concession and maintenance workers as the CSA plans to host over 40 tournaments each year that will attract out-of-town guests to the area, generating further economic activity for local restaurants, hotels and retail establishments. CSA expects these out-of-town athletes and families will generate over 10,000 hotel room nights per year.
“This sports complex will be a center of recreation, community life and economic activity. St. Louis will finally get the world-class youth sporting facility it deserves,” said Tom Kaimain, founding principal of the project’s developer, Mia Rose Holdings (MRH).
“None of the larger existing indoor court facilities in St. Louis were designed for volleyball and basketball, and many are 30 to 40 years old with failing infrastructure, poor ventilation systems, insufficient lighting, substandard flooring, insufficient seating and inadequate dimensions for safe and enjoyable play,” said Scott Mebruer, club director at High Performance Volleyball - STL.
Due to the lack of safe and adequate facilities locally, local basketball and volleyball clubs currently must use multiple locations to meet their needs and tournament organizers turn to bigger venues in other Midwestern cities.
“The lack of local and quality facilities creates unnecessary obstacles and lost opportunities for local tournament organizers and businesses, as well as for players and their families who must travel out of town to participate,” said Duncan. “This new facility will alleviate that burden for athlete families.”
For information about partnership opportunities, visit www.chesterfieldsports.com or email info@chesterfieldsports.com. To follow the development, follow chesterfieldsports on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
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Feature rendering credit: mw Weber Architects.