A Field of Dreams: Paragon Star’s Win Puts Lee’s Summit on the Map for Youth Sports

Paragon Star earns national recognition and a brighter spotlight for Lee’s Summit

Paragon Star Sports Complex in Lee’s Summit has been named the Outstanding Multi-Field Facility of the Year by the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA). The award, announced with praise for the site’s planning and build quality, puts the locally run complex in front of coaches, club directors and tournament organizers across the country.

The honor matters because it makes Lee’s Summit a more visible stop for regional tournaments and travel teams. That attention can mean more weekend visitors, fuller hotels and bigger crowds at games. For the people who use the fields every week — players, parents and local coaches — the award is a clear sign that the facility meets national standards for safety, durability and playability.

Inside Paragon Star: layout, materials and design choices that stood out

Paragon Star is a multi-field park built to serve youth and amateur sports. Rather than a single show field, it is organized so several games can take place at once. The design focuses on flat, well-drained playing surfaces, walkable paths between fields and basic comforts like covered benches, scoreboard backs and shaded seating.

The playing surfaces are synthetic and were chosen to handle heavy use with low downtime. Those surfaces make scheduling easier: they drain quickly after rain and need less daily upkeep than natural grass. That reliability helps organizers keep tournaments on schedule and reduces the chances of cancellations.

Facilities for players and fans include well-lit fields for night play, restrooms, concessions and locker-room space that can be used by teams during weekend events. Attention to maintenance access — such as service roads and staging areas for grounds crews — was also part of the build. Those practical touches keep maintenance runs from interrupting games and help crews replace or repair parts of the surface without closing the entire complex.

On the technical side, planners emphasized robust drainage and a playing surface depth and backing meant to resist wear. The overall layout keeps spectator traffic and service traffic separate, which makes the site easier to manage during large tournaments and reduces wear on walkways and field edges.

Why an ASBA award matters in the sports facilities world

The ASBA recognition is judged by peers: builders, turf suppliers, engineers and facility managers who know what makes a complex durable and safe. Winners are typically chosen for a mix of sound design, smart material choices and attention to long-term maintenance needs.

For a community facility, the award is both a mark of quality and a marketing tool. Organizers of regional and national tournaments look for venues that can handle many games without field failures. A named award flags Paragon Star as a reliable, professional-place to host those events.

Voices from Brock USA, city officials and local users

Representatives from Brock USA, the company that worked on the site, described the award as a validation of careful planning and craftsmanship. “We focused on long-term playability and ease of maintenance,” one company spokesperson said. “Seeing that work recognized by ASBA is gratifying.”

Paragon Star’s management welcomed the attention and stressed community benefits. “This award highlights our goal of providing a safe, consistent place for kids to play and for families to come together,” a facility director said in the announcement.

Local officials framed the win as a community victory. A city representative noted that the complex was designed with growth in mind and called the award proof that Lee’s Summit can host larger events without sacrificing neighborhood quality of life.

Parents and coaches who use the fields mentioned practical perks. They praised the quick drainage after storms, reliable lighting for evening practices and roomy sidelines that make managing teams easier during tournaments.

What the accolade could mean for the local economy and community life

The immediate effect of the award is higher visibility. Tournament directors often book venues months or years ahead, and they favor places known for consistent fields and good logistics. That could translate into more weekend tournaments, which bring visitors who spend on hotels, restaurants and shops.

Beyond direct spending, steady tournament traffic supports seasonal jobs in event staffing, groundskeeping and concessions. More tournaments also create regular demand for local referees, coaches and trainers, and give youth teams more opportunities to play competitive games close to home.

Finally, the recognition helps the city sell itself to families looking for youth sports programs. That can be a small but steady factor in local growth and community pride.

Brock USA’s role and what’s next after the ASBA win

Brock USA acted as a major contractor on the project, supplying field systems and installation expertise. The company used systems designed to withstand heavy youth play and reduce long-term upkeep. In the announcement, Brock USA framed the award as part of a larger push to highlight community-scale projects that pair durability with cost-conscious maintenance.

Looking ahead, Brock USA and Paragon Star’s operators said they will keep promoting the complex to tournament organizers and will continue routine upgrades to keep the site in top condition. For Lee’s Summit, the ASBA honor is a chance to turn a well-built local resource into a regional destination for youth sports.

Sources

• prnewswire.com