Expansion at O’Fallon Family Sports Park in works to accommodate increased use

With the city flourishing as a major regional sports destination, plans are underway for two more lighted, all-weather turf soccer fields at O’Fallon’s Family Sports Park.

Andrew Dallner, director of O’Fallon Parks and Recreation, said the addition will help accommodate weekend requests for practices and game space, and expand programming opportunities.

“We will be able to meet the demand,” he said. “Teams that come to town for sports tournaments have an impact on our community. This spending drives the local economy and generates income for the city.”

Among the most heavily scheduled and frequently used amenities within the park, currently all soccer fields are booked Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., from August through May.

Because of the high level of demand, some rental requests have gone unfulfilled, Dallner said.

Additional field space is needed to accommodate local soccer clubs for practices, to provide game space for the St. Louis Youth Soccer Association, and to support the city’s in-house recreational programs, which primarily serve children from O’Fallon and Shiloh.

The park currently includes eight lighted, all-weather synthetic turf soccer fields and three premium grass soccer fields, two all-turf baseball/softball fields, and eight turf infield/grass outfield baseball/softball fields.

A playground was added in 2022. The park features a splash pad, pavilions, concessions, small fishing ponds and a 2.1-mile walking trail to the community.

The installation and replacement turf for the championship and soccer fields 9 and 10 will take place while planned parking lot improvements are made as well.

Dallner explained this is an efficient way to improve the overall site development. If all goes well weather-wise, he said the fields could be finished by the end of April.

“That’s a big ‘if’ – Mother Nature will have to cooperate,” he said.

Dallner said the fields will be multipurpose, able to accommodate baseball and softball games, too.

“When soccer is over in May, we can place backstops and then roll out fences to play ball,” he said.

The city council approved a contract with Bryne & Jones Construction and Millennia Professional Services for professional engineering services associated with the design and construction of the two soccer fields

Payment is not to exceed $2.97 million for construction and a contingency of $290,000. That includes drainage design, plan administration, and construction coordination.

In 2024, the estimated economic impact was over $9.6 million in gross revenue from baseball, softball and soccer teams visiting the Family Sports Park. The 2025 data will be available soon.

According to location intelligence software, 1.57 million visitors to Sports Park were documented in 2024, 390,000 of which were deemed “unique visitors” that stayed longer than 150 minutes. This is based on 32 tournaments being played over 36 weekends, from March 3 to Nov. 2.

Greater Midwest Baseball and USSSA Softball, St. Louis Scott Gallagher, Metro Alliance and Gateway Rush have operated multiple tournaments with local teams and overnight teams participating, and other organizations use the fields as well.

Soccer tournaments typically take place in September, October, November, February, March, and April, with baseball and softball tournaments May-August.

People who stay overnight for tournaments and eat at local restaurants typically spend about $60 per day compared to only $10 per day if they just visit O’Fallon for the day, the city’s economic impact study showed.

The installation of all-weather turf fields has boosted financial gain, Dallner said, because it allows for fewer rainouts and gives teams the peace of mind to schedule events here.

Family Sports Park development

Located at 301 Obernuefemann Road, the 200-acre park was created in 2007 as a regional site for tournaments that would attract players from other states as well as nearby metro-east and St. Louis teams.

Significant expansion of the park was funded with large contributions from a 9% hotel/motel tax that is paid by out-of-town visitors. It was increased by 4% to help fund Destination: O’Fallon, an economic development initiative approved in 2016.

The “heads in beds” incentive included the construction of the O’Fallon Station pavilion/plaza in the downtown district.

The lodging industry has become a major economic driver for the city. City Administrator Grant Litteken said data shows that if someone stays overnight in O’Fallon, they are likely to spend more than three times as much, including hotel stays, multiple meals, and shopping trips.

“The Family Sports Park not only attracts hundreds of thousands of people to O’Fallon each year, but it also helps fill O’Fallon’s hotels, restaurants, shops, and many other businesses,” Litteken said.

The city spent $9.3 million on the soccer fields and $1.5 million on the pavilion, using reserve funds and issuing $9.5 million in bonds to be repaid by hotel/motel tax revenues.

There were seven fields built in the state-of-the-art complex in 2017, along with new bathrooms and parking lots. The cost was $4.58 million.

In spring 2018, two convertible all-weather fields were added – for both soccer and baseball/softball.

O’Fallon is expanding its hotel-motel count within the city limits as well, for Home2 Suites and SpringHill Suites are both under construction, bringing the total to 15.

Hotels listed in the city are: Baymont Inn & Suites, Candlewood Suites, Comfort Inn, Drury Inn & Suites, Extended Stay America, Fairfield Inn, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, HomeTowne Studios & Suites, LaQuinta Inn & Suites, Quality Inn, Super 8 by Wydham, Sleep Inn and Marriott TownPlace Suites by Marriott.