Keller’s biggest project yet aims at creating a youth sports destination
With the $43 million renovations to the Keller Sports Park set to complete in January, city officials hope it makes Keller the place to go for youth sports in north Tarrant County.
The 140-acre park at 265 Golden Triangle Blvd. has easy access to Old Town Keller and spaces for food trucks to port, which could increase the economic impact of the sports complex.
“I think this is going to be a monumental amenity for the city that is not only going to put Keller on the map when it comes to youth and youth associations, but it’s really going to be a centerpiece as far as who we are as a city as far as our character,” Mayor Armin Mizani said at the project unveiling in 2023.
The $43 million Keller Sports Park expansion includes turf fields, a field house, renovated bathrooms and concession stands, ADA walkways, trail connections and a press box at the equestrian arena.
The additions were made based on the months-long conversations between council members, parks and recreation board members and presidents from youth sports associations who use the park.
Economic impact of the Sports Park
The sports complex is not designed to be a money maker on its own, Reynolds said, but economic growth is expected due to the number of visitors.
“It’s right near Old Town, where we are investing tens of millions of dollars to bring that whole area up,” Reynolds said. “There’s even a trail connection between the Sports Park and Old Town, if people wanted to do that and not lose a parking space. So Council, I think, really sees it as great for the Sports Park, but it’s also great in general for that part of town, and hopefully to help also support the businesses down there.”
The city expects additional property taxes on the $17 million City Sports Campus on the northwest corner of the park expected to open in the spring of 2026. The privately owned 70,000-square foot recreational center will have volleyball, basketball, cheer and futsal courts.
Meeting the needs of users
Maberry said the idea of expanding and renovating the two-decade-old Keller Sports Park was pitched to the council in 2015, but members weren’t open to the price tag. With the shift to a younger council, many of the members were seeing the Sports Park every weekend because they had kids in the leagues there.
“You had more council members now that were experiencing the actual lived experience of parents out at those facilities, kids playing on those fields,” Reynolds said, “They’re, of course, around all the other parents that have maybe been doing it for quite a while, because they have older kids saying, like, ‘Oh yeah, man, we needed to fix that for however long and let me come show you this. That needs to get fixed, right?’
“The previous council had already been hearing it, and had said, ‘OK, we probably need to do something. Let’s start looking at this.’ And then, it really became like a campaign promise for some of the candidates.”
The vision the City Council had was to provide something to the spectators as well as the players, Maberry said.
“That’s where the splash pad came in and all the shade amenities for the spectators, all the restrooms and concession stands that haven’t been touched in 20 plus years.” Maberry said. “Because when you’re just standing out there watching your kid play under the sun, it can be tiresome. … If you’ve got a game at 8 o’clock and then you have to come back at 11, you’re not going to leave, what are you going to do for those hours that you’re not playing? We wanted to give people options.”
Putting Keller on the map
Doug Reske, president of the Keller Soccer Association, said he’s seen firsthand how having new amenities and a nice field attracts more people to the Sports Park. Because the city never fully closed the complex for construction, the Soccer Association has been able to hold all of its spring games there.
Besides hearing from parents happy to have actual bathrooms instead of the porta-potties, Reske said he also gets compliments on the soccer fields time and time again. Since the park is only used for game days, the fields don’t get the usual wear and tear most do from practices.
“They look immaculate,” Reske said. “That’s one of the biggest things we always get from other associations people visiting is how good they look. We take pride in the fact that ours look good, and they’re safe because a lot of them have holes and divots, and then it’s not safe for the recreational kid.”
Because of the new fields, Reske said the association has been a point of interest for more visitors and larger tournaments. He said he’s even started day dreaming about adding an adult league or having year-round soccer since there are now covered bleachers and a turf field.
“That’s my goal,” Reske said. “It is to just make Keller a destination place for more tournaments, and just get it more on the map than just a little on the news for weather. It was nice when Keller popped up on the weather, but I want it to be a place where people want to come for recreational soccer.”
The Keller Sports Park is expected to see completion in January, with the splash pad installed in February, Maberry said. The renovation project is about 60% through. Reynolds said the ribbon cutting and opening celebration will likely be in late February or early March.
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 10:32 AM.