Youth and adult outdoor sports leagues now can now play while avoiding Central New York’s typically muddy fields during spring and fall rains. Onondaga County leaders celebrated the multi-million-dollar completion of phase one of the Hopkins Road “Superfield” in Salina Thursday. Visit Syracuse President Danny Liedka said the turf fields are well-lit and a magnet for a variety of teams in Central New York and beyond.
“You can do every sport. You're not just tied into baseball, softball. Now you can do lacrosse, soccer, flag football, field hockey. You can do anything," he said. "So we really have elevated this community where I believe when all is said and done, when the next phases are complete, we will be the outdoor youth sports capital of the Northeast without question.”
As a youth baseball coach, Liedka said he’s seen facilities across the country. He said the fields in Salina and at Carrier Park in DeWitt, combined with the area’s affordability and accessibility, make the area very attractive.
Now that the county is addressing outdoor sports, Liedka says he’d like to focus on facilities for indoor sports, especially during the winter months.
“Syracuse, let's face it, we're a basketball town first and foremost. We don't host many youth basketball tournaments," he said. "They all go to Pennsylvania. So my push is certainly the court sports, the indoor sports, would be the next logical phase of that to make this a 12-month sports destination as opposed to a six-month destination.”
Liedka predicted the tournaments, both in and outdoors, can draw thousands of athletes and generate up to $20 million in annual economic impact through hotel stays, restaurants, and other activities.
