CHICAGO — ARCO/Murray and GMA Construction Group have broken ground on a $31 million sports campus in Chicago’s North Austin community. Project partners include By the Hand Club for Kids, Grace and Peace Revive Center, Intentional Sports, the Chicago Fire Foundation and Jason and Vedrana Heyward. The facility will offer education, leadership development and sports training for Chicago youths, including soccer and baseball programming from the Chicago Fire FC and the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy.
The project will include 150,000 square feet of indoor space, outdoor turf fields and an indoor turf arena. The campus will offer after-school programming for more than 400 youths.
Completion is slated for fall 2022. The State of Illinois provided a $1.5 million capital grant, which will assist with brownfield redevelopment of the former Glidden paint factory. The campus will be developed in partnership with Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives.
By the Hand Club for Kids, which is an after-school program, will operate its sixth Chicago-area club at the campus. By the Hand will occupy 30,000 square feet. Grace and Peace Revive Center will offer a food bank, domestic violence counseling, transitional housing and advocacy workshops onsite. Nonprofit organization Intentional Sports will anchor the development. Adult leagues, camps and national tournaments are expected to generate revenue to sustain the facility and provide low-cost and no-cost options to local athletes and their families.
Additionally, the Chicago Fire Foundation will establish a permanent home for its community outreach programs. Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward, and his wife Vedrana, have made a financial gift and committed resources to launching the Jason Heyward Baseball Academy. The sports training and leadership development platform will serve players of all ages and skill levels.