Youth soccer group buys Selke Field for $350K

ST. CLOUD — After almost 90 years as part of St. Cloud State University’s campus, Selke Field has a new owner.

Following a fundraising campaign, Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association purchased the field on Friday, Aug. 22, for $350,000 — $60,000 over the initial asking price of $290,000.

The deal has been 10 years in the making, said soccer association President Emily Willaert.

“It’s been a long dream in progress,” Willaert told St. Cloud LIVE in a phone interview. “When I joined the program 10 years ago, one of the first things I remember saying is, ‘I wanted to buy Selke Field’… The space is great.”

Contributed / St. Cloud State University Archives

The proceeds from the sale will be reinvested into facilities upgrades on the SCSU campus, according to a news release from St. Cloud State University.

Interim President Larry Dietz said the university is “thrilled” with the purchase.

“We have confidence that this historic site can have a bright future under new ownership.,”Dietz said in the news release. “This sale is a major win for the Central Minnesota community.”

The Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association,

founded in 1981, is a volunteer-driven program focused on developing players, coaches, and referees. The organization provides programming for 1,100 kids each year, including fielding about 25 competitive teams, according to the SCSU news release.

The group had rented Selke Field for decades, but Willaert was hoping to finally make it home.

Contributed / College of St. Benedict

“It’s all in one location, and it doesn’t feel like we’re impeding upon other community space,” Willaert said.

She added that ISD 742 does a good job offering its athletic spaces to the community, but usually there is high demand. The same goes for the Whitney Sports Complex.

“It always feels weird to use those spaces for practice, because it kind of feels like we’re moving the community out of their space,” Willaert said. “This is a really great opportunity to just have a space and be able to operate it without encroaching on other people as well.”

However, to buy the field, the youth soccer group needed help from the community. A fundraising campaign launched in April received over $100,000 from more than 150 donors, Willaert said.

“We wanted to start a grassroots movement to see if people were interested,” she said.

The community response has been positive so far, Willaert said. Lots of community members and businesses had become invested in the goal, and some have reached out asking for updates, she added.

“I think everybody loves the space and loves the historical story behind the wall,” Willaert said. “It’s just such a part of so many people’s experiences within St. Cloud, whether they were at St. Cloud State or played in (the youth soccer association). It just holds so many great memories for the community.”

The property, at 1001 13th St. E, is approximately 16.28 acres and zoned for single- and two-family residential and parks and open spaces.

A hallmark of the field is its 3,500-foot granite wall built by the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression. The granite for the walls was taken from nearby quarries that were also owned by the university, according to SCSU.

The stadium was once home to the St. Cloud State University football team until Husky Stadium was built in 2004

(the football program was canceled in 2019).

The St. Cloud State University softball team was the most recent tenant of the athletic facility.

St. Cloud State President

George Selke,

who held the position from 1927 to 1943, was instrumental in the creation of the field.

Contributed / St. Cloud State University

Sports Field, as it was known, was dedicated on Oct. 23, 1937, for the homecoming football game against Winona State University. The theme of the two-day festivities was “Decade of Development,” to celebrate Selke’s contributions to the university.

In 1946, the field was renamed Selke Field in honor of the school’s longest-serving president.

Starting in 1947, the north end of Selke Field was used as veterans housing, according to the university. Later, the veterans housing was used for married students before the buildings were razed in 1968.

George Selke died Oct. 2, 1970, in Portland, Oregon, at age 82.

SCSU in March announced that Selke Field was going on the market for $290,000. University spokesman Zach Dwyer told St. Cloud LIVE in June that three bids were received for the field.

Now that the Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association owns Selke Field, Willaert is focusing on connecting with the community.

“It’s really just like community changer for us and a program changer, and we want to be an asset in the community, both for soccer programming and other programming, regardless of age or activity,” Willaert said.

The community helped invest in the campaign, and she plans to return the favor.

Selke Field uses go beyond soccer, Willaert said, adding that the association can provide opportunities for other sports and activities. There are also plans to expand program offerings to accommodate adults.

Willaert has to travel to Blaine to play in a women’s league. She said there should be closer opportunities for the community.

“Our limitation was based on space, so to be able to open up space to both our rec program and our travel program as well … to anybody interested in needing a large space, it gives us a lot more power and control,” Willaert said. “It also makes us a better community partner.”

The field hasn’t been used since 2024. In the immediate future, the youth soccer group will work on getting the field in playing condition, including:

• Putting together a plan on how to repair Selke Field’s iconic wall over time.
• Making sure the sprinkler system works.
• Returning the grass to playing condition.
• Looking for long-term parking solutions to be respectful to the field’s neighbors.

Willaert said that the facility could fit six full-sized soccer fields or eight to 10 smaller fields.

While there is work yet to do, Willaert is excited for the opportunities that lie ahead, including increasing access for players. Finally, she said, the Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association has a permanent home.

Contributed / St. Cloud State University Archives

“There are so many first memories that you get through playing sports … those memories that are going to be with these kids forever, she said.

“People will be able to say, ‘My dad played on Selke Field, and now I’m playing on Selke Field,’ and soon we’ll have kids of kids playing on Selke Field,” Willaert added. “I think that legacy and impact is just so important.”

The Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association is hosting a Selke Social at the field from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 21. The event will include food, games and a 4-on-4 soccer tournament.

To learn more about Selke Social, email

centralmnpresident@gmail.com.

More information about the association’s plans for the field can be found at

cmysa.org/selke-capital-campaign

or

tinyurl.com/cmysagofundme.