Austin FC announced June 22 it has begun construction on the St. David’s Performance Center, the future training site for its senior team and academy players.
According to a June 22 news release, the training facility is expected to open spring 2021, sharing a similar timeline with Austin FC’s stadium.
“St. David’s Performance Center is going to provide our first team and academy teams with one of the best soccer training experiences anywhere in North America,” Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said in the news release. “In a few short months, the facility will be open, right on schedule for our inaugural MLS season in 2021.”
As a whole, the 23-ace training site, located at 13400 Harris Ridge Blvd., Austin, will comprise two buildings that house players, technical staff and club leadership, according to Austin FC. The training facility will be part of the mixed-use Parmer Innovation Center, a 300-acre campus currently under development in Northeast Austin near Tech Ridge.
Four full-sized soccer pitches will be built at the training facility, including three natural grass fields and one artificial turf surface, the MLS team said in its news release. The artificial turf pitch will include spectator stands with capacity for approximately 1,000 fans.
Documents from Parmer Innovation Center show the training facility site will be located near the southwest intersection of East Howard Lane and Harris Ridge Boulevard.
St. David’s HealthCare was announced as a sponsoring partner with Austin FC back in May 2019, when the MLS announced the hospital system had acquired the naming rights to its training facility.
At that time, St. David’s President and CEO David Huffstutler said St. David’s will provide on-site medical support for each of the club’s 17 home games once Austin FC begins play in 2021 as well as medical care for all players and coaching staff, from the professional club to the development academy.
Earlier this year, the MLS franchise announced cooler manufacturer Yeti signed a multiyear deal as Austin FC’s official jersey sponsor.
Austin FC’s stadium at McKalla Place does not yet have a stadium name sponsor. The stadium, construction on which broke ground in September 2019, is scheduled to open next spring for the 2021 MLS season.
