Swope Park Training Center

THE KANSAS CITY WIZARDS SWOPE PARK TRAINING CENTER was dedicated July 13, 2007 in front of dignitaries from throughout Kansas City, Missouri and Wizards ownership, players, coaches and team officials. Located in Kansas City's historic Swope Park, the facility is the product of a unique public-private partnership between the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department and OnGoal, LLC, the Wizards ownership group.

Completed in only four months, the facility was immediately hailed as one of the finest in Major League Soccer and on par with some of the best in the world. The privately financed $5 million building and soccer fields provide the most professional environment possible for players, with over 7,800 square feet of facility space and four soccer fields. The 7,000 square-foot main structure houses the players and technical staff, and the adjacent storage building houses the turf maintenance equipment. Features of the main building include: a large locker room and lounge for the players, treatment and hydrotherapy areas, a cardio and weight training room as well as equipment and laundry facilities. It also houses the offices, meeting, and locker rooms for the technical staff and field operations staff.

The training center received two awards in its first six months of operation. The contractor, Meyer Brothers Building Company, received an "Excellence in Construction Award" in 2007 from the Heart of America Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors. The KC Parks and Recreation Department also honored the facility with a prestigious "Commissioners Award" in 2007. In 2008, the training center was a finalist for a Cornerstone Award in the "Redevelopment" category from the Kansas City Economic Development Corporation.

The Wizards completed the second phase of construction on the facility in late March of 2008 with the conversion of Field 3 into an all-weather lighted synthetic turf field. OnGoal and the Wizards partnered on the project with FieldTurf Tarkett, FIE-LDS Inc., MUSCO Lighting and The United States Soccer Foundation to develop this world-class addition to the complex. The new field serves the Wizards, the KCW Juniors Youth Development Program, numerous community outreach programs supported by OnGoal and the Wizards as well as the UMKC Men's Division I soccer program and the AYSO-affiliated Brookside Soccer Club. Thanks to programs like Verano MLS and Night Kicks, Field 3 was available to soccer enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds in 2008. The Wizards will host these community-centered programs again in 2009.