HOWARD, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A multi-million dollar project to improve the Nouryon Sports Complex in Howard is officially complete.
On Thursday, representatives from the village, Brown County and the Wisconsin United FC soccer club hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the upgrades at 1600 Pinecrest Road.
In addition to turning fields 2 and 3 into high-quality artificial turf playing surfaces, the $2.4 million project also included fencing, backstops, bleachers and concrete pads, which created a stadium-like atmosphere to support more tournaments and enhance spectators’ experiences.
“We initiated this process actually in 2015. It was a dream to turf the fields. At that time, we were having a lot of wet weather and we were canceling a lot of stuff, and we wouldn’t be able to host games,” said Eric Gebhard, executive director of Wisconsin United FC.
Officials believe the turf fields will benefit the community both athletically and economically. Not only will Wisconsin United FC use the fields, but so will the Howard-Suamico school system and other area sports clubs.
Currently, the Nouryon Sports Complex is the most-visited amateur outdoor athletic facility in Brown County, drawing more than 181,000 guests each year. With these new enhancements, the complex will be able to support soccer play earlier in the spring and later into the fall — approximately six to eight weeks of more activity each year.
Wisconsin United FC estimates this will lead to over 1,300 additional hotel stays and an economic impact of more than $2.3 million annually through expanded tourism and soccer tournaments.
“For example, we’re hosting 12 teams from Illinois this weekend. Between now and Thanksgiving, these fields are full. We figured out we’re gonna have about 600 heads in beds between now and Thanksgiving,” Gebhard said.
These improvements were funded by a $1 million grant through the Brown County Tourism Enhancement Capital Grant Program and financial support from the village of Howard. Wisconsin United FC also contributed $500,000.
