Coastal Florida Sports Park facts for kids

The Coastal Florida Sports Park is an awesome place for many different sports! It used to be called the Cocoa Expo Sports Center. This huge sports complex is in Cocoa, Florida. It has lots of outdoor fields for baseball, football, soccer, and lacrosse. There's also a big indoor field, batting cages, and a weight room. For 21 years, it was the special spring training home for the Houston Astros, a team from Major League Baseball (MLB).

What's Inside: Cool Sports Facilities

The Coastal Florida Sports Park has many amazing areas for athletes. It's a great place for training and playing all kinds of sports.

Baseball Fields and Stadium

• There are 11 baseball fields with lights, perfect for night games. These fields meet the standards for college-level play (NCAA).
• One of these is a newly updated stadium with 5,000 seats. It even has a giant 50-foot Jumbotron scoreboard! This stadium is big enough for professional baseball games.

Fields for Football, Soccer, and Lacrosse

• The park also has eight fields that can be used for football, soccer, or lacrosse. This means lots of space for different teams to practice and play.

Indoor Training Center

• There's a huge 35,000 square foot training building. It cost $5 million to build!
• Inside, you'll find a 17,000 square foot indoor field. This field is super flexible. It can be used for football, soccer, or even as an indoor baseball infield.
• There are 14 indoor batting cages. Seven of these have special ProBatter Video Pitching Simulators. These machines can throw pitches just like real pitchers!
• Athletes can also use a 15,000 square foot weight room. It has lots of free weights and training machines to help them get stronger.

Places to Stay and Relax

• The park has a Player Hotel with suites right on site. This means athletes can stay close to their training.
• There's also a fun recreation hall. It has two huge 32-foot HDTVs and six 70-inch HDTVs for watching sports or movies.

Future Plans: A Giant Gymnasium

The Coastal Florida Sports Park has plans for an even bigger gym. This new gymnasium will be 100,000 square feet! It will have 11 hardwood basketball courts that meet professional (NBA) and college (NCAA/FIBA) standards. These courts can also be changed into 14 volleyball courts.

CES Academy: Learning and Sports

The Coastal Florida Sports Park also created something called CES Academy. This academy is a special sports school and boarding school. It helps young athletes get ready for college sports. The academy focuses on making students successful, confident, and responsible. It does this through sports, schoolwork, and building good character.

Park History: From Baseball to Multi-Sport Fun

The park has a long and interesting history, starting way back in 1964.

Early Days with Major League Baseball

• The city of Cocoa built the park in 1964. It was first called the Cocoa Expo Sports Center.
• It became the spring training home for the Houston Colt .45s, an MLB team.
• The first spring training game was on March 15, 1964. The Colt .45s played against the Philadelphia Phillies. About 3,245 fans watched the game.
• The park was the spring training home for the Colt .45s and Astros until 1984.

Becoming a Center for Amateur Sports

• In 1984, private owners bought the ballpark. They changed it into a place for amateur sports. Amateur sports are for people who play for fun, not as professionals.
• The complex is about 70 acres in size. It still has the original 5,000-seat Cocoa Stadium.
• It also had six more baseball fields and four multi-purpose fields.
• There was a 20,000 square foot arena. This arena could hold three basketball courts or four volleyball courts.
• The park also had a 100-room hotel for athletes and a cafeteria.

More Major League Baseball and Other Sports

• In the spring of 1993, Major League Baseball returned! The Florida Marlins played their first spring training games there.
• Over the years, the complex hosted many other events. These included umpire schools and baseball camps.
• It also held youth tournaments for baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
• The park was even the home field for the Cocoa Expos professional women's soccer team.

Modern Updates and Renovations

• By the end of 2016, the park got a huge update. Private investors helped pay for the changes.
• The renovation cost $40 million!
• This big update included the main baseball stadium and all 11 baseball and multi-purpose fields.
• A new hotel and an indoor training center were also part of the improvements. The park became the Coastal Florida Sports Park we know today.