SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - The Capitol City has a new record, and it's not related to Abraham Lincoln. The new dome at the Scheels Sports Park is the largest air-supported sports dome in the world, according to the project team.

"This marks a milestone for the park and for our city and it is a visible indicator of our progress in the city," said Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher. "We are expecting the Scheels Sports Park to bring 250,000 new visitors to Springfield, providing 25 million in an annual boost to our local economy and over 50,000 new hotel nights." 

The dome is more than 710 feet long and 275 feet wide. At its peak, the dome is 98 feet tall. 

"To give you a perspective of how huge this dome is, the entire Scheels store plus another half of the store could fit comfortably inside the dome," said Chris Stritzel, project manage3r for the Scheels Sports Park. "Every soybean harvested last year in Sangamon County could fit inside that dome." 

The project is on track to open for local school athletes this fall. The team hopes to host tournament starting in 2026. 

"The Springfield Clinic dome, anchored by Scheels Sports Park, will house one of the most sought after youth sporting venues in the nation," said Ryan McCrady, CEO of the Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance. "The sports park will include eight outdoor, all-synthetic, turf, lighted fields that will be convertible for multi-sport play, including up to 15 youth baseball or softball diamonds, which can also play as six full size adult baseball fields, if needed or eight full size soccer fields at one time."

The dome is fully inflated, but not fully set up. First the team will install lights inside the dome. They will then install flooring and netting before opening the facility to the public.

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