Group proposes outdoor and indoor turf facilities for Oswego sports teams

A group of Oswego residents is looking to unite the village, Oswegoland Park District and Oswego School District 308 in order to provide improved sports facilities for local teams while at the same time generating revenues for the taxing bodies.

”Oswego lacks the updated, next generation multi-use facilities that have become the standard in nearly every neighboring town,” said Christopher Kennedy, a co-founder of the Oswego Unity Fields initiative.

Heavy use and weather results in uneven grounds, muddy spots and worn out grass. The Oswego High School football team recently practiced at Go For It Sports Dome in Yorkville in preparation for the state football playoffs.

The proposed project involves maximizing underutilized grassy fields near both high schools to help update public school facilities and provide an economic growth platform for the area as part of a public-private partnership. An opportunity to develop both outdoor and indoor turf facilities shared by the school district provides a pathway for residents to also enjoy a premier multi-use sports destination.

Kennedy and others proposing the project recently coordinated meetings with Oswego village, park district and school district leaders to explore this opportunity to collaborate. Several residents spoke in favor of the project at a District 308 public forum earlier this month.

Florida-based Sports Facilities Companies, which plans and manages sports, recreation and event facilities nationwide, is working with the Oswego Unity Fields team. The company is helping build a sports complex in nearby New Lenox.

Another Oswego Unity Fields leader, Ryan Dolan, said taxing bodies would see additional revenues if these improvements are made, as would area businesses.

“Sports tourism has become a $52 billion market in the U.S. and Illinois is ranked 5th in terms of the economic impact generated by sports tourism,” Dolan said.

As proposed, the fields would be named in honor of Oswego historical figures such as the Wilson family, the first settlers in Oswego in 1833 and Ferdinand Smith, who graduated from Oswego High School in 1903 and was the first black student to graduate from high school in Kendall County.

“Oswego Unity Fields provides an opportunity to celebrate our history and honor this great community,” Kennedy said.

One of the potential investors in the project is Michael Cockroft, executive director of the Chicago Rush Soccer Club. Chicago Rush Oswego is a youth soccer club that serves players 3-19 years old in the Oswego, Plainfield, Naperville, Aurora and Yorkville communities.

With 52,000 members worldwide, Rush Soccer is the world’s largest youth soccer organization.

”I want to make this work more than anything,” Cockroft said. “I’ve got the membership already. We struggle with the facilities from an indoor perspective. So I’m eager and ready to go. I just hope we can all be behind it to give back to the community.”

Eric Patnoudes and his Facebook group Fielding the Future 308, has been advocating for the implementation of synthetic turf multi-purpose fields to accommodate not just athletics, but also activities like band, cheer and dance.

”We were frustrated about the condition of the athletic facilities, so we got together and started a Facebook page called Fielding the Future 308,” said Patnoudes, who has been involved in athletics at Oswego East High School and is involved in Oswego Youth Tackle Football. “Think about the millions of dollars of scholarships our kids are competing for.”