Sanford Sports Complex impacting youth sports

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Opened in phases over the last decade, the Sanford Sports Complex spans more than 500 acres. It includes the Sanford Pentagon, the Field House, the Sanford POWER programs, and top-tier training and recovery facilities. But for young athletes like these Little League players, the state-of-the-art baseball fields, complete with artificial turf, could be Target Field.

Teresa Van Beek came to watch her grandson.

“Kids get more excited about doing stuff and playing these games and stuff they watch them on TV and they want to be like those big guys that are doing all that fund stuff, I think it does get more kids involved in sports and stuff when they have a place like this to come to and enjoy,” said Van Beek.

SF swimming pools ready to make a big splash this summer

And enjoy they did on this day, 9-year-old Connor hit an inside-the-park home run.

“This facility is every kid’s dream,” said Nick Keller.

Keller is not only a parent, he’s a coach.

“Every kid that comes out here, they got a smile on their face, they are ready to play ball, they are just happy to be out here and thankful to have these facilities,” said Keller.

The complex offers more than just time on the field. More than a thousand athletes train here weekly. The complex offers specialized programs in everything from basketball to volleyball, strength training to sports psychology. We met Todd Kolb the Director of the Sanford Sports Academies inside the huge field house.

“I think one of the things that is important is we’re here for all kids, not just the elite, not just for the kids who have a lot of money. We are here for everybody, and we do that, like we are doing today, we have one of the elementary schools in Sioux Falls coming out and doing their field trip day. We also have a scholarship program where kids can apply for scholarships to do our camps, to do our clinics, maybe be on one of our travel teams, and so we are really making an effort to broaden our horizon, so the complex is really not for the entire community,” said Kolb.

TikTok bidder: South Dakota ‘certainly the front-runner’

The newest additions are the diamonds. The ten new fields were part of one of the largest outdoor turf projects in the country. All fields include lighting for night games, digital scoreboards, and live-streaming capabilities. As the Sanford Sports Complex continues to evolve, its impact on youth sports is becoming clearer, and so is its impact on the city and what it has to offer as a place to live.

“Just this last weekend, we had several teams from out of town in several different sports, one example I remember from the field house experience playing seven on seven,” said Steve Young, President of Sanford Sports. “Parents from Omaha were like, we never knew you guys had the field house, let alone the Pentagon or all those outdoor fields. This place is amazing. Again, those are for Sioux Falls; those aren’t just for Sanford Health; that’s a sense of pride, I hope the community understands we are here to invest in that for the community as well,” said Steve Young.

More expansion is planned for the Sanford Sports Complex, from apartments to retail stores to restaurants and hotels.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KELOLAND.com.