At its June 17 meeting, the Maryland Heights City Council approved the lease of Sportport, the city’s outdoor recreation complex, to Ultimate Soccer Arenas of Missouri, LLC (USA-MO).
The 20-year lease includes a graduated annual rental fee, to increase every five years. The city will incur no net costs during the life of the agreement. USA-MO would continue to operate Sportport as a multi-use sports facility. The group’s affiliation with the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association (SLYSA) will provide access to thousands of soccer players and teams throughout the region, while the facility will also continue to provide a venue for other turf sports, such as lacrosse and rugby.
“We are excited about the opportunity to be part of one of the region’s premier outdoor sports facilities,” said Pete Spanos of USA-MO. “We plan to invest more than $2 million in four new artificial turf fields at Sportport, which will attract new tournaments and allow us to serve the players here with greater predictability, regardless of weather.”
Also as part of the agreement, USA-MO will continue the relationship that the city has built between Sportport and the city’s hospitality industry. Through tournaments and other events, Sportport is responsible for generating about 4,000 hotel room nights in Maryland Heights each year, as well as thousands of dollars spent at area restaurants and shops.
Since it opened in 1999, Sportport’s operating costs have exceeded revenue, and the ongoing financial downturn led the City Council to reconsider the feasibility of continuing to operate the facility. Over the last five years, Sportport has run an average annual deficit of about $225,000. At the same time, the Parks Fund—which provides significant funding for Sportport’s operation—has seen a nearly 20 percent drop in its primary source of revenue, a half-cent sales tax on retail sales within the city.
“Given the current state of the economy, and with no major new retail in the city’s immediate future, it is difficult to see how we could continue to operate Sportport at this kind of loss,” Mayor Mike Moeller said. “USA-MO plans to continue to provide residents of Maryland Heights and the region with a quality sports facility, and I think that’s a win for everybody.”