SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — Construction at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe started in September of 2023. Since then, construction crews have been hard at work laying the groundwork for the facilities. 

Chris Stritzel, the Scheels Sports Park Project Manager, said his team spent much of last year laying miles of pipes and planning electrical work. Recently they completed the foundation and floor work for the facility's record-breaking dome. 

"It is the largest air supported structure in the United States and once it's done, the largest air supported sports dome in the world," said Stritzel. "So it's pretty impressive to have that here in Springfield, Illinois. It's 275ft by 715ft long." 

The dome will take two days and thirty people to inflate. It uses three machines to stay inflated, which can operate off of electricity or a generator. The team has taken steps to ensure it will stay operational in whatever weather central Illinois brings, including snow. 

The dome will fit two full sized softball fields and six full sized basketball courts. Each basketball court can also be converted to 2 volleyball courts. Stritzel said the way the dome is organized is conducive for large tournaments with many teams playing at once. 

There are also several multi-sport facilities that will be opening up outside the dome. 

"There are eight full size soccer fields out there that convert into two youth diamonds or one high school field can be playing all at the same time," said Stritzel. "Those are entirely synthetic turf. There's no there's no grass out there at all whatsoever."

By this fall, the team dome will be completed as will a few of the outdoor fields. The full facility won't open until Spring 2026. Stritzel said local students will be able to use the completed facilities by this fall. 

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