INDIANAPOLIS — Kuntz Stadium was considered a modern soccer facility when it opened in 1987. It is now in disrepair, but it could receive a second life as a home for rugby.
Riverside Sports Properties is planning to invest $45 million into the west side sports facility. Its vision is to expand Kuntz Stadium into a 8,000-seat facility ahead of the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
"It's kind of like, 'Build it and they will come,'" said Bill Ehret of Riverside Sports Properties. "We've done that before in Indianapolis with various sports."
"The vision for Kuntz Stadium is to make it a world-class facility that allows community access to play the great sports of the world," added Brian Williams of Riverside Sports Properties. "Rugby, lacrosse, soccer, field hockey."
Riverside Sports Properties would lease the field on 16th Street and Harding Street from Indy Parks & Recreation if the proposal is approved by City-County Council on June 3.
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Indy Parks public information officer Savannah Harris said the agency endorses the proposal because it does not have the money to fix Kuntz Stadium itself.
"Seeing something so loved by the community fall by the wayside just because of the lack of funding we have, it can be a big challenge."
If the rugby plans are finalized, the field will still remain open to the community after the renovation.
Harris said the goal is to encourage Hoosiers to get outside however they can.
"It's being able to offer more sports to our communities that already engage with the park, and longer term, expanding that reach," Harris said.
The neighborhood where the stadium is located is represented by City-County Council president Vop Osili. A spokesperson told WRTV Osili "is in full support of this project."
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