HUNTSVILLE – City of Huntsville administrators and leaders joined for a ribbon-cutting at the grand opening Tuesday of the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex at John Hunt Park.
The newly expanded facility has four championship multi-use fields, NCAA-approved lighting, digital scoreboards, two press boxes, locker rooms, sound systems, plaza areas with shade sails and picnic facilities, expanded parking and stadium seating to accommodate up to 5,000 fans.
And it started when then-Mayor Spencer led the effort to get the Alabama High School Athletic Association to move the state soccer championship final four from Birmingham to Huntsville.
Huntsville got its wish and first hosted the state tournament in 2001. The 2024 tournament is Wednesday-Saturday, the 23rd straight time the tournament has been played at John Hunt Park. The 2020 season was canceled because of the pandemic.
“This fantastic public amenity would not have been possible without the vision and leadership of former Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer,” Mayor Tommy Battle said. “We are honored to name this facility in her honor and in recognition of her hard work and dedication to youth sports in Huntsville.”
The 20-acre, four-field championship-caliber facility will be used for all multipurpose field sports – soccer, lacrosse, ultimate frisbee and more. Two of the fields are synthetic turf and two are natural grass. The expansion cost $17 million.
James Gossett, director of Huntsville Parks and Recreation, said the Spencer Sports Complex complements the eight synthetic turf fields at nearby Merrimack Sports Complex.
“The whole premise of John Hunt Park is that we create world-class sports facilities to serve both championship-level tournaments and our residents,” he said. “We already have sports teams in Huntsville signing up to play at the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex, and we look forward to having them enjoy these beautiful fields.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our email newsletter to have all our smart stories delivered to your inbox.
