NSC Executive Director Todd Johnson acknowledged his facility–one of the largest in the world with more than 50 soccer fields and eight hockey sheets among other facilities–can not afford to build new turf fields on its own, relying instead on partnerships with Spring Lake Park Schools and the Minnesota United to help pay for the four turf fields it currently has.
Johnson said the cost of a turf field with lights has ballooned to about $1.5 million per field.
“It’s those shoulder seasons that are really, really tough,” said Johnson. “Think about it….if you have artificial turf fields, you can just start the games earlier (in the spring) and go later at night because they’re lit, and it really extends the season in the spring and in the fall.”
That could help the sports center–and the city of Blaine–land more lucrative tournaments outside the Target USA Cup each July.
“From USA Cup alone, the economic impact to the state of Minnesota is about $35 million,” said Johnson. “Year-round, when you include hockey and other sports like that, it’s about $95 million.”
So city leaders are eager to capitalize on those and other opportunities to re-make the areas immediately to the north of the Schwann’s Super Rink and the National Sports Center main buildings.
“You can really see an opportunity to just carry the activity from the south side of 105th to the north side,” said Blaine Community Development Director Erik Thorvig. “(We want to) try to bring the whole area together.”
Johnson said mixed-use development including retail, dining, and lodging options would really help with big events like the USA Cup.
“We had hotels from St. Cloud to Rochester, basically,” he said. The tournament this season boasted more than 900 teams from 25 states and 19 countries, including a boys and a girls team from Ukraine. “People would prefer to stay in this area, close to the tournament.”
He also wants to see the city–and it’s 70,000-plus residents–consider the National Sports Center a hub of civic activity.
“There is, in my mind, no reason this shouldn’t be perceived as Central Park for Blaine,” Johnson said.
