Friday afternoon, Dordt University and Sioux Center city officials hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the American State Bank Sports Complex, a joint venture between the two entities. The $8 million dollar, 250x470x75 foot inflated facility was the recipient of a $500,000 Iowa Community Attraction and Tourism grant. Sioux Center City Manager Scott Wynja opened the ceremony and introduced many speakers including Iowa Economic Development Authority Director, Debi Durham. Durham was present to congratulate the community on completion of the project. In her remarks, she cites Nelson Mandela on the power sports has on culture, “sports has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way little else does in our world today, it speaks to youth in a language youth understand.”
Durham says win or lose, athletes and their families who visit the facility will work up an appetite, eat at a local restaurant, perhaps even stay overnight in the area. She says sports is actually becoming the country’s hottest new travel trends, it’s called “tournation”, it’s when a family plans a vacation around a child’s sporting event. She says sports tourism has been recognized as one of the fastest growing segments within the travel industry by the World Tourism Organization, and she says the state of Iowa has taken notice.
Durham has no doubt that the quote in the movie Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come”, will ring true for Sioux Center and the ASB Sports Complex. She says those who visit will fall in love with it and what Sioux Center has to offer, maybe stay for a while, perhaps come back to play some more, or even come back to stay for good.
The 117,500 square foot of turf, or nearly 3 acres of turf, offers a climate controlled, multi-sport, handicapped accessible, facility with a regulation practice football field, two ball diamonds, regulation soccer field, and several smaller recreation soccer fields for year-round use.
In her final comments, Durham says Sioux Center “hit it out of the park” with the completion of the facility.
Other speakers at the ceremony included Dordt University Athletic Director Ross Douma, Dordt University President Erik Hoekstra, American State Bank President and Joint Use committee member Stan Speer, Chamber Chairperson Daniel Finley, and Sioux Center Mayor David Krahling. Durham, along with dignitaries and chamber members participated in the ribbon cutting to end the program.
