SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Backers of the proposed South Sioux City Indoor Recreation Center say a $3 million fundraising campaign has reached its midpoint after a significant contribution from Beef Products Inc.
The Dakota Dunes-based meat processor, which operates a plant in South Sioux City, recently donated $200,000 to the project and will have naming rights to a tennis court and soccer field inside the facility.
BPI's donation adds to a $360,000 Nebraska Civic and Community Center Financing Fund grant and hundreds of thousands of dollars in pledged donations and in-kind work at the facility, which will be located along the Missouri River at the southern end of the Jeffrey Dible Soccer Complex.
The Siouxland Tennis Association and South Sioux City Soccer Club have teamed with the city of South Sioux City to raise the money for the project, which will provide tennis and soccer enthusiasts a place to play and practice during the winter months. It could also attract regional tournaments.
"We are so excited about the future of indoor soccer, as this facility has been a dream for years. It will be an excellent addition to the exceptional outdoor soccer opportunities available to our youth. Keeping kids active and involved during the winter months is very important," Marla Grier, president of the South Sioux City Soccer Club, said in a news release.
Current plans call for three tennis courts and a 27,000-square-foot turf area that can be utilized as one large soccer field or two smaller fields. The facility also would include offices, a concession area and rest rooms.
South Sioux City's Parks and Recreation Department will manage the facility. The venue itself will be governed by a board including representatives of the local tennis and soccer organizations.