MARCH 20-26, 2023 SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 29 NEWS construction management company for the project, slated for completion by September. That would be in time for Ozark Fall Farmfest, which Owen said is scheduled for the facility Oct. 6-8. Owen said over-the-road trucking company Wilson Logistics Inc. secured naming rights for the arena in April 2022. He declined to disclose the rate for the 20-year deal. Fairgrounds officials quickly came to terms with The Arena League, but Benizio and Owen both declined to disclose the threeyear lease rate. The arena will seat roughly 6,300 but the configuration for Arena League games will reduce capacity to around 4,500, according to officials. “It’s designed to be for sports, trade shows, dirt events such as monster trucks, demo derbies, to be indoors,” Owen said of the arena. “We’ll have the equipment to take dirt in, take dirt out, put down turf. It’s very diversified. “We’re hoping to have enough money left at the end to buy a professional stage that would be stored there all the time for concerts.” The Springfield team is now accepting deposits – starting at $10 per seat – on season tickets which start at $90 a year, according to its website, ALSpringfield.com. Tickets to individual games begin at $15 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and younger. Getting established As for the team’s name, league officials say they’re seeking input from the Springfield community. A name-the-team contest is live on the team’s website, and submissions collected will be tallied through the end of the month, Benizio said. He said part of the goal in the infancy for the Springfield team, which is yet to hire any staff, was to have a local adviser. “The first step was to just have a boots-onthe-ground person locally, who is well connected and well received. I don’t think there’s a better choice than Kirk Elmquist,” Benizio said. Elmquist, who has decades of leadership, marketing, sales and public relations experience at tourism and sports organizations, is executive director of the Branson/Lakes Area Tourism Community Enhancement District. He said at the news conference that the Wilson Logistics Arena and the league can be “a revenue gamechanger,” noting its seating capacity is between the size of the O’Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University and the Great Southern Bank Arena at Missouri State University. O’Reilly seats roughly 3,600, while the Great Southern Bank Arena has an 11,000-seat capacity. “It’s going to be a true gateway to 417land,” he said. Declining to say after the event whether he is a paid adviser, Elmquist said there’s no timeline for how long he’ll remain involved with the team. “They asked me to be a connector for them,” he said. “My role in tourism is to connect our region together. This seemed like another natural addition for tourism, so they brought me on board to help advise how to get those relationships to begin.” Benizio said plans call for unveiling the team’s name in May, followed by hiring a general manager in June. That person will be tasked with hiring a staff for the team. No timeline for selecting a team roster is in place but officials say that isn’t expected to happen until after a head coach is hired. Benizio said no corporate sponsorships are in place but they will be sought in the coming months. The Arena League intends to offer opportunities to ex-NFL players using the league as a possible springboard, along with young players fresh out of college. According to the league website, games will be played on a 50-yard indoor field with team rosters of 15 players for six-on-six matchups. Additionally, participants play both offense and defense, and games are designed to be fast paced with a quick play clock and no huddles. “We know we’re not the NFL, but it’s going to be very high quality and very entertaining,” Benizio said. • Arena: Wilson Logistics secures naming rights for fairgrounds project Continued from page 3 Kirk Elmquist: Fairgrounds arena and football league can be “a revenue gamechanger.” HEATHER MOSLEY The Ozark Empire Fairgrounds development is slated for completion by September, officials say. Getting Ready for Football MARCH The Arena League selects Springfield as one of four cities for its inaugural season. Tickets go on sale and team names are solicited from the community. MAY Team name announced. JUNE A general manager is expected to be hired and team logo revealed. AUGUST A head coach is expected to be hired. APRIL 2024 Entire coaching staff to be introduced. MAY 2024 Team’s roster announced. JUNE 2024 The Arena League’s inaugural season kicks off. Several announcements from The Arena League and the Springfield team are expected in the coming months. Source: The Arena League MIKE CULLINAN The Arena League Commissioner Tim Brown announces Springfield as the first team for the season set to begin in summer 2024.
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