Project leaders and local officials kicked off the construction process for the DE Turf Sports Complex (Kent County Regional Sports Complex) in Frederica at the site's groundbreaking this month.
The 84-acre, state-of-the-art facility will be home to ten synthetic turf and two natural grass fields for sports, such as soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby and ultimate Frisbee. That includes a championship stadium field. Synthetic turf will minimize the impact of inclement weather on games and tournaments.
Additionally, DE Turf will have ample parking, comfort stations, lighting and scoreboards, space for vendors, training areas and a fieldhouse, created in partnership with Highwater Management (a subsidiary of SoDel Concepts).
The Greater Kent Committee championed the effort behind DE Turf and established the Kent County Regional Sports Complex Corporation, a 501(c)(3) overseen by a board of directors and newly hired Executive Director Rob Smith. The KCRSC hired Becker Morgan Group to design and Richard Y. Johnson & Son to build the $24 million facility. Construction started this winter. The project is slated for completion in spring 2017.
"The effect DE Turf will have on sports tourism in Delaware will be huge," said Bill Strickland, chairman of the Kent County Regional Sports Complex. "Sports tourism was a $9 billion industry across the country in 2014. We know this project is an economic engine that will ensure Delaware is well-positioned to get a sizeable piece of that."
