Join the Town of Indian Trail on Monday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the new artificial turf field at Chestnut Square Park (320 Chestnut Parkway). The event will include a ribbon cutting and remarks by Town officials and Panthers’ representatives. The highlight of the evening will be appearances by several Carolina Panthers’ players and cheerleaders.
After the ribbon cutting, students from local youth sports organizations will take the field and rotate through a variety of skill stations set up by the Panthers. The drumline from the Sun Valley High School Marching Band will also perform.
Earlier this year, Indian Trail received a $250,000 grant from the Carolina Panthers through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program to help fund the installation of an artificial turf field at Chestnut Square Park. The grant, also supported by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), is part of a $3 million nationwide field refurbishment program. The Town was the only municipality in the Charlotte metropolitan area to receive this prestigious grant, which partially funded the project.
The NFL Foundation/LISC Grassroots Field Grant Program – a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization – has supported the construction or renovation of 365 football fields nationwide since 1998. During that time, the NFL Foundation has granted nearly $61 million to revitalize playing fields in underserved neighborhoods. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements such as irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.
The artificial turf replaced the original grass multi-use field. The new field, which displays the Panthers’ logo and Town of Indian Trail seal, will allow the field to be used in all seasons for football, soccer, and lacrosse. It will also allow the Town to host more tournaments and events, bringing visitors to Indian Trail from across the state. Additionally, the Town plans to add stadium seating to the area in the future.
The completion of the artificial turf field transforms Chestnut Square Park into a true sports complex, with athletic offerings including indoor and outdoor sand volleyball, indoor and outdoor pickleball, indoor basketball, tennis, wrestling and athletic training. The Mecklenburg Swim Association is also set to open a state-of-the-art Olympic swimming pool training facility across the street.
“This is an exciting time for growth in Indian Trail,” said Patrick Sadek, town manager. “The vision we had for Downtown is taking shape thanks in large part to the NFL and Carolina Panthers for their contribution to the artificial turf project. We are grateful for their support and look forward to celebrating the opening of the new field.”
We would like to thank the Publix in Sun Valley for their generous donation of refreshments for the event.