Overland Park Facilities Impress Tournament Planners

Overland Park, Kan. is a hospitable city located just a few minutes from Kansas City, in the heart of the United States. A mixture of contemporary and traditional, Overland Park offers metropolitan amenities with a small town feel. Among popular pastimes in Overland Park, sports top the list. Locals are adamant sports fans and love getting involved with all kinds of athletic competitions, from regional tournaments to professional matches. And with all the world-class facilities, sports teams will feel right at home in Overland Park.

Sports planners are continually drawn to the area, thanks in large part to its central location, as well as its selection of sports venues and all the hotels, restaurants and attractions located nearby. The city recently added a new venue to its collection, The Fieldhouse of Kansas City, which opened in summer 2012.

Overland Park has long been an athletic haven, and it continues to evolve as a multi-sport athletic destination, bringing in more tournaments and building its list of successful sports events. Within the last year, Overland Park has welcomed a wide range of athletic tournaments, including the US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup, Free State Classic Ultimate Tournament for frisbee, Ghost of Georgetown International Racquetball Tournament and the USSSA Regional Basketball Series. Overland Park this summer will host the 2013 US Youth Soccer National Championship, USSSA 16A/18A Girls Fast Pitch World Series, Midwest Golf Classic, KC Classic Hardwood Basketball Tournament and Korean American National Sports Festival.

All of these sports events have been made possible by Overland Park’s plethora of athletic facilities. And with the help of the Overland Park Sports Alliance, tournament organizers will have no problem finding the venue that suits their needs best.

Top Facilities

Overland Park Soccer Complex

The soccer complex has 12 state-of-the-art, synthetic turf soccer fields with lighting and scoreboards. All fields are equipped with an in-ground cooling system, as well as evaporative coolers. In addition, there is a 16,000-sqare-foot Field House with offices, a referees lounge with showers and lockers, and meeting room.

The Fieldhouse of Kansas City

A brand new indoor facility equipped with eight basketball courts that can also be used for volleyball.

The Athletic Club

This sports facility features 15 racquetball/handball courts, a full-size gymnasium for basketball and volleyball, squash courts, an outdoor sand volleyball court, an indoor track with a low-impact surface and a year-round swimming pool.

Blue Valley Recreation Complex

The Recreation Complex features 24 irrigated baseball/softball fields, as well as playgrounds, climbing rocks and a multi-purpose field. It plays host to several youth baseball and softball tournaments, along with several adult slow pitch tournaments.

Overland Park Convention Center

The convention center is a 254,000-square-foot complex that features a 60,000-square-foot exhibit hall, a 15,000-square-foot meeting room space and a 25,000-square-foot outdoor courtyard. The venue can host events such as wrestling, gymnastics, cheerleading and volleyball.

Mid-America Sports Complex

This sports facility features 10 lighted softball fields; two multipurpose fields for soccer, football and rugby; a 10-stall batting cage; a clubhouse; and plenty of seating and parking. Located a short distance away is the Mid-America West Sports Complex, which houses 12 outdoor youth softball fields and the Okun Fieldhouse, a 56,500-square-foot indoor sports facility with four basketball and eight volleyball courts.

Attractions

Sports teams and their families can venture over to the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens or Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, a turn-of-the-20th century farm that has almost 200 animals and birds of prey. The New Theatre Restaurant puts on Broadway-style musicals and plays. This fall Overland Park welcomes a brand new entertainment and dining district, Prairiefire. The Museum of Prairiefire will offer rotating exhibitions from the American Museum of Natural History, a truly unique collaboration. The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art is the largest contemporary art museum in the four-state region. Oak Park Mall is the largest indoor shopping mall in the region. The Downtown Overland Park District has a number of boutiques.

Special Services

Once teams decide to host their sports tournament in Overland Park, the Overland Park Sports Alliance will be there every step of the way, providing a variety of complimentary services. The Overland Park CVB offers a special sports tournament housing service, which includes a customized tournament registration website, rate negotiation for teams, rebate collection assistance and 24/7 customer service support. On top of all that, the alliance helps create promotional and informational material for tournament attendees; develops a personal microsite for tournaments and teams; provides publicity for sports events; sets up a welcome booth where ambassadors greet guests; and offers a mobile application with maps, visitor guides, weather, helpful links and a dedicated area for a team’s event.