Houston Sports Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Houston Sports Park |
|
|---|---|
| HSP | |
 |
|
| Type | Municipal (Houston, Texas) |
| Area | 117.96 acres |
| Operated by | City of Houston Houston Dynamo Houston Parks Board |
| Visitors | 5,381 hours of use (in 2017) |
| Open | 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. |
| Status | Open all year |
| Parking | Over 400 vehicles |
| Public transit access | 87 Sunnyside / TMC[1] |
The Houston Sports Park (HSP) is a big park in Houston, Texas. It's a place where many different sports are played and events happen. You can find it in the Five Corners District of Houston, close to the City Park neighborhood.
HSP is home to Sabercats Stadium. This is where the Houston SaberCats rugby team plays. It's also the main training area for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash soccer teams, plus their youth academy teams. The park has a special field called Memorial Hermann Champions Field. It also has one field with artificial turf and five more fields with real grass.
Contents
What You'll Find at Houston Sports Park
The main building at the park is a single-story building. It holds Athlete Training + Health, a large space for athletes to train. There's also a special area for the Methodist Center for Sports Medicine. This center helps the doctors who work with the Houston Dynamo, Texans, Astros, Rodeo, and Ballet teams. It even has a special underwater treadmill pool to help athletes recover. The Houston Dynamo also has its own training center here.
Future Plans for the Park
The part of the park you see today is called Phase One. It was finished in 2011. Now, people are raising money for Phase Two. This next part will add seven more sports fields with lights. It will also include a building with restrooms, cooling misting stations, and picnic areas. There will be walking trails, a playground, and even more parking spaces. Building Phase Two is expected to cost about $12 million.
How Houston Sports Park Was Built
The Idea for a Sports Park
.jpg)
In 2005, a soccer team called the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston. They became the Houston Dynamo. The team's owners wanted a permanent stadium and a training place. While they worked on building what is now BBVA Compass Stadium, they also planned the Houston Sports Park.
At first, people thought about using the Gus Wortham Golf Course for the park. But Houston's Mayor Bill White and councilwoman Carol Alvarado didn't agree with that idea. So, they looked for other places. By 2007, they started looking at undeveloped land in south Houston. Two spots near the South Freeway were considered.
Making the Park a Reality
In 2008, the City of Houston bought several pieces of land. These lands were next to the Houston Community College South Campus. They were also along the South Freeway. The city then combined these lands and called them "Houston Amateur Sports Park" in 2009.
On June 25, 2008, the City of Houston and the Houston Dynamo officially announced the plans. They would build a 100-acre park with 18 fields. The next day, a public event was held to celebrate. In December 2009, the city hired a company to build a new part of Kirby Drive through the park. This road connected Airport Boulevard to Sims Bayou.
In November 2011, the City of Houston created a special group. This group, called the "Houston Amateur Sports Park LGC," was set up to build, manage, and run the park. It would be a place for public sports and team training. A board of eleven people, chosen by the mayor, helps manage this group. In May 2014, the City of Houston added 32 more acres to the park.
New Stadiums and More
On February 7, 2018, the City of Houston agreed to help pay for a new stadium. They contributed $3.2 million for Aveva Stadium at Houston Sports Park. This stadium was built for the Houston SaberCats rugby team. It was finished in April 2019 and can hold 4,000 fans.
See also
In Spanish: Houston Sports Park para niños
