Willy Wonka might be the appropriate person Saturday to open up the 24 fields surrounding Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
He would certainly appreciate the wide eyes of wonder of young and old alike as they ran into the biggest candy store they have seen.
But instead of chocolate waterfalls, gobstoppers and snozzberries, the masses that will stream to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will get to play all kinds of games under sun and lights, minus the tedious bureaucracy of local park and recreation districts.
The soccer players of both genders and nearly every age and ethnicity will come most often, but so will the players of lacrosse, rugby, dodge ball, kickball, Gaelic football and hurling, flag football, ultimate Frisbee and even marching bands.
“It will truly be a sports park in every sense of the word,” said Brandon Tosti, director of business development for the $131 million complex, the largest of its kind in North America.
The fields are flat, lined and lush, as long as there is water, and the scheduling is simple: Call, make a reservation, play and repeat.
“We’ve dealt with the Denver Parks and Recreation for 10 years and it’s not easy,” said Ciaran Dwyer, vice president of Denver Gaels, which provides Gaelic football and hurling to adults and youth. “They’re not very user-friendly. It feels like you’re pulling teeth.”
“(Dick’s Sporting Goods Park) just caters for our needs,” he said. “They run it like a business and they run it professionally and you just don’t get that sense from Denver.”
Mike Downey, founder and director of Play Coed, figures he was making inquiries about the complex before the initial hole was dug.
“They actually have goals and nets,” Downey said. “You would not believe the problems you run into working with the city and county of Denver. We got the wrong nets the first time we tried to have a tournament.”
According to Tosti, staff will be onsite, cruising in golf carts to answer any questions or assist teams and groups. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park sets up the field for the sport and will provide some of the hardware.
Local soccer clubs such as Real Colorado and Rush will use the fields heavily, especially for their popular national tournaments.
Real Colorado used nine sites to host its tournament last year, but will now need only two to facilitate the more than 330 teams.
Jared Spires, director of operations for Real Colorado, said the complex and its centerpiece stadium further cement the state’s reputation as a top destination for youth soccer.
“This facility allows us to bring the best teams in from the county and not apologize,” Spires said.
