Before the soccer complex debate reached the Mobile City Council floor as a formal budget item, several council members were already pressing Mayor Sandy Stimpson to get behind a partnership with Mobile County on the ambitious sports and aquatic project proposed near Interstates 10 and 65.
Stimpson, appearing on a local radio program, said the city needed to move carefully given its existing debt load compared to the county’s greater borrowing capacity. “My only concern is we don’t have any borrowing capacity whereas the county does,” Stimpson said. “We have to be very thoughtful about us participating in any future debt until we can get a better grip of what we have.”
Council members C.J. Small, Bess Rich, and Fred Richardson each voiced support in the days leading up to that interview for the city to join the county on a complex that would include 10 tournament-sized soccer fields, seven grass and three turf, along with a championship field with bleacher seating. Future phases envisioned for the site include an 80-acre natural habitat with certified cross-country trails, a natatorium with a 50-meter competition pool, a leisure pool, and an outdoor water park featuring a lazy river and splash pads.
“This will help the county and city save money and make money at the same time,” Small said, arguing that Mobile has been losing out on soccer tournaments to other markets for lack of a modern facility. Rich echoed that sentiment, saying she would have liked to see improvements at the Medal of Honor Park soccer fields but ultimately believed partnering on the new county-led site made more financial sense. “The soccer community will be greater served at the new location,” she said. “It is very important that we combine our monetary resources to achieve this goal.”
Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson, in a letter dated Aug. 29, said the county held a legal option to purchase 200 acres for the project and described the complex as a potential driver of sports tourism revenue for the region. “This complex will be a tremendous asset for the Mobile area in providing long-awaited recreational venues for our citizens,” Hudson wrote, adding it would let the city and county compete more aggressively for tournament business.
Danny Corte, executive director of the Mobile Sports Authority, said developing dedicated soccer fields in Mobile has been a priority dating back to at least 1998. He pointed to Baldwin County’s success building a soccer tourism economy, noting Orange Beach continues to host the NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship through the 2015 season and that the Southeastern Conference’s women’s championship is held there each November. Corte also cited the long-running Halloween Blast tournament that draws more than 100 teams to Daphne and Fairhope each fall, along with Fairhope’s own plans to build a 10-field complex near Manley Road.
“All you have to do is look around and see the growth in soccer,” Corte said, framing Mobile’s potential complex as a chance to catch up with the sports tourism gains already underway across Baldwin County.