Kilbourne Run Sports Park's $40 million soccer upgrade

Driving the news: After years of work, most of the new-look park — including turf fields, playgrounds, shelters, parking and facilities — is complete, project manager Kelly Messer told Axios in November.

• It's on track to officially open this spring.

Follow the money: Columbus invested $30 million in the redevelopment, which Messer says has stayed on budget.

• Another $10 million came from the Columbus Crew.

Context: The Crew is involved because the project replaced failed plans by the team and city to purchase the land required for the park from the state near the fairgrounds.

Flashback: Kilbourne Run was already a "prime soccer facility" before renovations were green-lit in 2022.

Yes, but: Field quality wasn't great, and gradient and drainage issues meant playing surfaces could become waterlogged.

• "It didn't hold up to what we can offer and what the community deserves," Messer says.

State of play: The new facility features six full-size artificial turf fields and eight slightly smaller natural turf fields.

• The "Championship Field" is attached to a stadium and plaza, with robust lighting, team locker rooms, a press box and expanded capacity.
• "We're packing a lot into these 60 acres," Messer says.

What they're saying: Messer tells Axios the park is meant to make Columbus a "regional leader" in club soccer, providing economic opportunities and bolstering Central Ohio's sports reputation.

• "We're leaders in so many different areas of recreation, and we know we can be a leader in soccer."

What's next: Crews are finishing work this month on a roundabout at Westerville Road and Westerville Woods Drive that will serve as the park's main entrance.

• They'll spend the winter finishing interior building work, restrooms and other buildings.
• Natural grass fields need time to grow and will open next fall.

The big picture: Recreational soccer isn't just a hobby — it's become a key economic opportunity for both competitive youth sports and increasingly robust adult rec leagues.

Between the lines: More than 14 million Americans ages 6 or older played soccer in 2023, a 23% increase from 2018, according to marketing and media company For Soccer.

• US Youth Soccer registers nearly 2.5 million competitive youth players each year alone, including affiliates in the Ohio Soccer Association.

By the numbers: That large player base drives mammoth investment.

• The typical family spends more than $1,000 on their child's primary sport, and youth soccer tournaments can be extremely lucrative in an industry that represents an estimated $43 billion annually.
• Adult recreational play is on the upswing, too.

Zoom in: Central Ohio has a growing youth soccer scene, but Club Ohio managing director Costa Kalorides tells Axios that our quality turf field capacity lags behind nearby metro areas, creating a major demand for the new fields at Kilbourne Run.

• "Columbus has been a little short on turf complexes; they've relied primarily on grass fields for anything from league play to event hosting. I think there's been a massive push to build some of these complexes."

The intrigue: If Kilbourne Run can fulfill its potential, it has a huge opportunity for success, Kalorides says.

• "Columbus is kind of the perfect geographical location. It bridges Ohio very well, but it's also a nice meeting point for Pittsburgh, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky."

The bottom line: "This complex will open up with a new World Cup coming in 2026," Kalorides says. "So the timing is very good."