WESTFIELD, Ind. – Indy Sports & Entertainment announced on Tuesday its intention to build a new world-class training facility at Grand Park that will become the official training home of the USL Championship’s Indy Eleven and the new women’s professional team that will play in the USL Super League.

The development will be part of a long-term collaboration by the City of Westfield with multiple partners, including Indianapolis-based Keystone Group, Indy Sports & Entertainment, Indy Eleven, and Bullpen Ventures, solidifying a landmark public-private partnership.

Grand Park and Indy Eleven have long-established relationships, with the multipurpose sports campus serving as the Indy Eleven’s Official Training Center. The venue has also served as the home for Indy Eleven’s USL W League club, which this past season won the league title and has already sent numerous players into the professional ranks.

The strategic alliance between the City of Westfield, Keystone Group, Indy Sports & Entertainment, Indy Eleven, Bullpen Ventures and others marks the conclusion of an exhaustive 21-month selection process which involved 17 competitive bids for the management and development of Grand Park. President and CEO of Indy Sports & Entertainment and Indy Eleven Greg Stremlaw welcomed the opportunity to further expand the relationship between the organization and the city.

“Our bid from the outset was to show the City of Westfield that we had capabilities to provide best-in-class management and operational excellence of the Grand Park Sports Campus for long-term sustainability and growth,” said Stremlaw. “It has been a pleasure to be part of this process with the City of Westfield since the outset, where we have worked diligently to demonstrate our capabilities.

“With our major expansion in men’s, women’s, and youth soccer over the last couple of years especially, and with another world-class development in Eleven Park in downtown Indianapolis forthcoming, we feel there are unprecedented synergies and opportunities that will further benefit Grand Park and Westfield for many years to come.”

“Keystone is excited about the opportunity to invest in Westfield and work with Mayor-Elect Scott Willis and the new city leadership to achieve their vision to expand and enhance Grand Park into an even more elevated premier destination for sports and entertainment with added amenities and year-round activities,” added Ersal Ozdemir, Chairman & CEO of Keystone Group.  

“As a leader in transformational neighborhood projects, our bold vision, combined with our experience on similar projects such as Eleven Park, will help create a vibrant live, work, play village around a world-class sports and entertainment epicenter that will not only engage residents but will entice visitors and keep all in the community wanting to return year after year.”

Under the partnership, Grand Park is set to create a dynamic sports and entertainment district. Plans call for a curated mix of restaurants, hotels, public spaces, a vibrant mixed-use complex encompassing residential, office, and retail spaces, and a state-of-the-art sports facility.

Indy Sports & Entertainment and Bullpen Ventures will manage the facility around youth sports while attracting large sporting and entertainment events and diversifying Grand Park’s current sports offerings. Keystone Group, an Indianapolis-based leader in mixed-use development projects – including Eleven Park, the proposed 20,000-seat multi-purpose stadium in downtown Indianapolis that will become the permanent home of the organization’s USL Championship and Super League clubs – is the City of Westfield’s development partner for Grand Park.

“Since its inception, my vision for Grand Park has been establishing a world-class venue for youth sports and a dynamic economic engine for Westfield,” said Westfield Mayor Andy Cook. “We’ve not only achieved but exceeded those initial goals by far. I am confident that this strategic partnership will propel Grand Park to even greater heights in the years to come, significantly contributing to Westfield’s ongoing economic development.”

“I am excited that Grand Park Sports and Entertainment will partner with us at Grand Park,” added Mayor-elect Scott Willis. “With their extensive experience in park operations and global relationships in the sports industry, this partnership is a natural next step. This agreement will profoundly impact our residents, dramatically improving their experience at the park and bringing amenities and a more robust commercial tax base to our city. I am confident that we will take Grand Park to the next level and thrilled for what the future holds.”