Following its opening on Feb. 24, the Conway Soccer Complex will host a wide variety of recreational sports and tournaments this summer, giving Conway yet another avenue for economic success.

City spokesman Bobby Kelly said, “We’re going to be able to not just offer excellent local recreational programming, but also be able to [host] bigger events where we couldn’t in the past.”

With a total of ten fields, the Conway Soccer Complex’s development was green-lit in Feb. 2022 after the project was approved during a special election. The election resulted in the soccer complex garnering a $5.5 million budget.

Kelly said, “Soccer is a growing sport, particularly among youth. It’s the fastest-growing sport outside of pickleball right now in the nation. We had a decent park out of Centennial Park, but it was built in the flood zone, or flood plain, that came, like, the issues, standing water, mosquitos, snakes.”

Kelly said that the complex already has around 700 youths signed up for recreational activities such as soccer.

During a city council meeting March 15, Parks Director Andrew Thames said that recreation baseball has over 500 participants this spring, softball has 255 and t-ball has 230.

“This year we’ve got 45 baseball and softball tournaments scheduled. That number will go up,” Thames said.

Although the Conway Soccer Complex will be used by Conway residents, these high numbers don’t take into account the hundreds of visiting families, teams and players who will also be using the new complex.

“Just like we see with our baseball and softball fields, folks come from all around the country and all around the region, and they come for games,” Kelly said. “And while they’re here, they’re either gonna stay, they’re gonna spend money. So there’s an economic benefit to that.”

During the council meeting, Thames also mentioned that Conway’s Adult Soccer league will be held at the new complex and will begin fall 2025.

Although the complex is just over a month old, there are already requests being put in by Conway residents, including adding more signage for directions to the soccer complex, more sidewalks, extra shade and added seating.

Conway’s numerous splash pads will be opening up for the summer at 9 a.m., May 12. The existing splash pads — found at Laurel Park and 5th Ave — will be joined by the new splash pad built within the Conway Soccer Complex.

“They [splash pads] have a small footprint,” Kelly said. “They enhance other parks like you’re seeing them enhance Laurel Park, Fifth Avenue Park and it adds an extra dimension of awesome to Conway Soccer Complex.”

The new splash pad is located near the concessions building and is smaller than the previous splash pads, not including staples such as the tipping bucket.

Kelly said that the splash pad was built because of “The need and the want and the desire for the people to be able to enjoy water on a hot day without going to a pool.” He also pointed out that it is a safer alternative “for folks with smaller kids in particular.”