Round Rock Multipurpose Complex Opens To Grand Fanfare

ROUND ROCK, TX — City officials on Thursday staged a grand opening of the long-awaited Round Rock Multipurpose Complex—a 60-acre, $27 million addition to Old Settlers Park accommodating athletic play.

The complex features two championship fields and eight multipurpose fields expected to draw thousands of players and spectators annually for various types of sporting events.

Round Rock Mayor Alan McGraw and City of Round Rock Director of Sports Management and Tourism Chad McKenzie spoke at the celebratory gathering, which was open to the public. Members of the Round Rock City Council and the city manager's office also participated in what was described as an "unconventional" ribbon-cutting ceremony consisting of soccer balls being kicked through a ribbon in front of a goal, in keeping with the athletics theme.

“This is a ‘landmark addition’ that complements and greatly enhances the existing features of Old Settlers Park,” McGraw said. “This investment ultimately serves our residents in two ways: by offering a great amenity for our youth to practice and play, and by attracting tournaments that bring thousands of people to support local Round Rock businesses by shopping, dining, and spending the night.”

The new multipurpose complex will host a variety of sports, including soccer, lacrosse, rugby, ultimate frisbee, flag football and more. Of the two championship fields in the complex, one is a natural-grass field and the other is a synthetic-turf field. Four of the multipurpose fields are also natural grass, and the other four have synthetic turf.

All 10 fields are equipped with Musco Sports lighting. Spectator amenities include a playground, permanent seating with shade structures for 250 people on each of the championship fields, plus options to add portable seating. The complex also has 938 parking spaces and a clubhouse with concessions and restrooms.
The multipurpose fields are already being used weekday evenings by Round Rock residents to practice and play with their local teams.

City officials produced a video with dramatic music in announcing the groundbreaking of the facility in January. Click below to see the presentation:

The City of Round Rock Sports Management and Tourism Department and the Round Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will promote the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex as a state-of-the-art venue for major sports tournaments to be used on the weekends, officials said. Local residents stand to benefit as well given the ripple effects of money spent in the community by out-of-town visitors generating sales tax revenue augmenting city services, officials noted.

The multipurpose complex enables Round Rock to attract a whole new set of sporting events to the community. Already, the brand-new venue is pre-booked with more than 25 events this year, and more in 2018, officials said.

“The flexibility of this new sports complex allows us to bid on and host a significantly wider range of regional, national and international sporting events,” McKenzie said. “The Round Rock Multipurpose Complex is another strong pillar of our Sports Capital of Texas brand. We are so thankful for the continued investment and vision of our City leaders, which enable us to be so successful with our effort to attract these big tournaments to Round Rock. We have seen that when tournaments come to Round Rock, the event organizers, the teams and the spectators are impressed and want to return.”

The design consultant for the entire $27 million project is Schrickel, Rollins and Associates, Inc. and the general contractor is Joeris General Contractors.

Separately, the city recently broke ground on the soccer complex project also located in Old Settlers Park. Five existing soccer fields are under renovation to create two multipurpose fields and three individual soccer fields—one full-sized field and two youth fields—all with natural grass. As part of the project, the existing topsoil and sod will be replaced, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades will be added to the complex. This project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

>>> Image via City of Round Rock