Starfire Sports Complex

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Starfire Sports Complex


location = 6840 Fort Dent Way
Tukwila, WA, 98188
broke_ground = June 20, 2003
opened = April 23, 2005
owner = Starfire Sports
operator = Starfire Sports
surface = 4 Grass fields,
4 outdoor FieldTurf fields (inc. stadium)
2 indoor FieldTurf fields
construction cost = $10M USD
architect = HOK Sport
former_names = Fort Dent Park
Starfire Sporting Complex
tenants = Seattle Sounders (USL-1) (2002-Present)
FK Pacific (PCSL) (2003-Present)
Hibernian & Caledonian (PCSL) (2004-Present)
seating_capacity = 2,000 (at main stadium)

Starfire Sports Complex is a sporting facility in Tukwila, Washington, on the banks of the Green River, near Seattle. It is operated by the non-profit corporation Starfire Sports. At the time of its opening, CEO Chris Slatt believed it to be "the largest synthetic-turf soccer complex in the U.S."

Starfire features fields for softball, soccer, and occasionally rugby union games, as well as a 2,000-seat soccer stadium occasionally used by the Seattle Sounders (and the home pitch of the Sounders Women [ [http://starfiresports.com/main_addedpages/sounderswomen.asp Seattle Sounders Women] at starfiresports.com] ). It is also the home of Hibernian and Caledonian F.C. of the Pacific Coast Soccer League. Additionally the complex hosts the annual All Nations Cup. The stadium field in 2004 became only the eighth American artificial-surface pitch to earn "recommended" status by FIFA and is thereby sanctioned for international play [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/192876_awest29.html "Starfire Sports receives FIFA nod"] , "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", Sept. 29, 2004 ] .

The complex has an Indoor facility which has two indoor soccer FieldTurf fields. It also hosts the administration offices as well as Mad Pizza restaurant. They also provide a game room for the children.

History

The site was formerly Fort Dent Park, operated by King County. In addition to the existing grass soccer and softball fields, the park included a cricket pitch in the area now occupied by artificial-surface soccer fields [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/116929_cricket11.html "Cricket team makes a pitch to save the pitch"] , "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", Apr. 11, 2003] . Severe budget cuts in 2002 led the county to schedule the closing of this park, among others, at the end of the year; however, the parks that were located within municipal boundaries were offered to the respective cities [ [http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=parks29m&date=20020329 "Pssst, cities: Want to take over a park that's run by King County?"] , "Seattle Times",Mar. 29, 2002] . That offer sparked the formation of Starfire Sports by Slatt, Steve Beck and Mark Bickham, who negotiated a 40-year lease with the city of Tukwila to allow them to build and operate the complex [http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=soccer22&date=20031022 "Tukwila soccer fields to be ready late next month"] , "Seattle Times", Oct. 22, 2003

] . This would relieve the city of an estimated $500,000 in annual maintenance costs which would likely have caused it to refuse the county’s offer had Starfire not stepped in. Starfire plans to cover operating and maintenance costs through user fees and advertising banners and hopes to retire the $10,000,000 construction costs over the course of several years [ [http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=starfire22&date=20040722 "Doomed park gets a new lease; local soccer gets much-needed kick"] , "Seattle Times", July 22, 2004 ] .

New construction included four lighted outdoor soccer fields with FieldTurf, including the stadium with its 2000-seat grandstand, along with the indoor facility.

Beginning in summer 2004, English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United offered training at Starfire as part of their Soccer Schools program. This came to an end in December 2007 [ [http://starfiresports.com/main_addedpages/training.asp#902 Starfire Sports :|: training ] ] .

The city of Tukwila still maintains a wooded part of the 54 acre site as a public park [ [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/144782_fortdent21.html "Fort Dent has new stewards"] , "Seattle Post-Intelligencer", Oct. 11, 2003 ] .

References

External links

* [http://www.starfiresports.com/home.asp Starfire Sports]