Two Ohio Groups Propose Sports Venue Projects, Including $86M Soccer Stadium
Two groups in Toledo, Ohio, are looking to beef up the city's sports scene by applying for a portion of state funds set aside for building new sports facilities in Ohio or renovating existing ones.
There are two major proposals at hand: one submitted by Summit Street Sports LLC would build an $83.6 million soccer stadium in the Vistula Historic District to bring men's and women's United Soccer League franchises to the city and catalyze further development in the area, and the other would renovate Fifth Third Field over the next nine years for $17.6 million.
UTRGV Plans South End Zone Expansion
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday plans to expand the south end zone by approximately 1,500 seats, increasing both student seating and the overall capacity of Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium ahead of the 2026 football season.
The student section will now be entirely in the end zone with a student capacity of 3,250, up from 3,000 in 2025. Additionally, the overall capacity of Vackar Stadium will now be 13,498, up from 12,000 in 2025.
Sections 120-122 will now be used for both season tickets and single game tickets. UTRGV will hold a few hundred seats for single game purchasers, in addition to standing room only tickets. The exact number of seats available will be announced when the updated single game ticketing process, including a new and easier to use ticketing platform, is announced this summer. The new ticketing platform will provide significant technological improvements and increased capabilities resulting in better, more robust scan data that will allow UTRGV Athletics to better serve its fans by more accurately tracking ticket usage and transfers. Additionally, all ticketing, including student ticketing, and donations will be unified on the same platform.
Howard County Opens Community Center Addition, With Two New Indoor Pools
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball was joined by the County’s Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan to officially open the new addition to the department’s North Laurel Community Center (NLCC) at 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road in Laurel. This nearly 23,000 square foot, one-story addition to the NLCC includes a lap pool, a therapy leisure pool, women’s and men’s locker rooms, six family “universal design restrooms,” a reception area, office space, a youth playground, and a preschool playground. Photos from the March 30, 2026 ribbon cutting event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.
The County completed land acquisition for the site in 1997, with planning for the Center beginning in 2000. Subsequently, the North Laurel Planning Committee held their first meeting on January 24th, 2007, to discuss the vision for the center. Then-County Executive Ken Ulman opened the center in June of 2011. Little progress was made on the center until Ball hosted the groundbreaking in June 2024. Ball invested more than $22 million toward phase two of this project, which included the pool and addition.
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