By: Diane Benjamin
h/t a reader
This message was sent to soccer families:
Hello FCCI Families,
We wanted to share an exciting opportunity for our soccer community and ask for your support.
The Town of Normal is currently gathering community feedback regarding the possibility of developing a large sports complex facility similar to the Rantoul Family Sports Complex. Facilities like this could have a huge impact on youth sports in our area by providing additional field space, hosting tournaments and events locally, and continuing to grow opportunities for players and families throughout Bloomington-Normal.
As a club, we know firsthand how valuable quality facilities are for training, league play, tournaments, and overall player experience. This is a chance for our community’s voice to be heard. We encourage all families to take a few minutes to complete the feedback form linked below and share your thoughts and support for the project.
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https://www.normalil.gov/1877/Parks-Recreation
Thank you for continuing to support soccer and youth sports in our community!
Tristan Alvarez FC
Central Illinois Director of Coaching
I asked GROK if the Rantoul Sports Complex was profitable. This was the answer:
No, the Rantoul Family Sports Complex itself is not strongly profitable on a standalone operating basis. It appears to operate roughly at or near break-even (or with modest surpluses/deficits covered by the village), but its primary value is in generating significant broader economic impact for Rantoul and Champaign County through visitor spending, tourism, and related development.
Champaign County is likely thrilled the Rantoul taxpayers built the complex. The original cost was $20 million, the final cost was between $24.8 million.
Normal wants to gift it’s citizens cradle to grave activities. Take the survey, it is long and mostly not about soccer.
The Underpass is a done deal or it wouldn’t be on the agenda: https://www.normalil.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5590
It sounds like a better idea than the underpass.
BN could never compete with the current facilities already operating in Illinois, let alone with those in neighboring states or across the country. Nor is their a local talent available to correctly manage such a facility to build on it in the future or be able to market it correctly to attract events throughout the year. You need more than just the sports facility to make it attractive, none which BN currently has or would have the ability to make happen. Like always, the leadership will just appoint a local yokal to run the thing that has little to no knowledge in sports facility management or business management. You need multiple year round events that can always occur in the winter months and other facilities and attractions besides the facility itself to make it attractive. BN has none of this going for it or the financial backing to make it a reality.
The Chamber of Commerce is advocating for the soccer complex just like they advocated for Bloomington’s Downtown Streetscape. I’m sure the Visitors Bureau is supportive.
Normal won’t want to do it alone. They will want to “partner” with Bloomington. Ten years ago, a consultant was hired to do a financial analysis on a sports complex, which showed that the complex would not be financially sustainable.
The argument of “economic impact,” is ridiculous given all of the other “quality of life” projects…including the underpass.
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Bloomington has a public work complex to build. I doubt they are interested. Rantoul had private investment too
Local parents, stop sacrificing your children on the alter of youth sports. And stop trying to make the taxpayers foot the bill for your idoltry.