Could pro soccer come to Fort Smith?
The fertile soil along the Arkansas River has been good for crops. The corn harvest should be a bountiful one in 2023. A new park has opened on 51 acres amid the corn fields in the 1900 block of Riverfront Drive near Spradling Avenue and the Arkansas River banks that border Oklahoma.
With a new playground open, the soccer fields could stand to be used more. Improvements are planned for the 120 yards of the soccer field.
Could Fort Smith be fertile ground for a professional soccer team? A United Soccer League team is coming to Rogers, Arkansas, in 2026. What are the chances to see a team in Fort Smith?
More people are expected to move to Fort Smith from other countries, where soccer is popular, once the jet fighter training program opens at Ebbing Air National Guard Base.
On July 12, the USL announced a partnership with USL Arkansas that will bring both men's and women's professional soccer to Rogers in northwest Arkansas.
According to a news release, the Bentonville, Fayetteville, Rogers and Springdale area is the home of "a rapidly growing population of more than 570,000."
The city of Fort Smith has soccer fields at John Bell Jr. Park, 1701 Spradling Ave., and Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1815 N. Greenwood Ave., and Fort Smith Park, 5301 Riverfront Drive.
Meanwhile in Rogers, there are plans for a 5,000-seat stadium.
But in Fort Smith, a youth soccer league is not always playing on even fields.
Steve Gatesman, the River Valley Futbol Club board president, said youth teams play at Ben Geren soccer fields, 7200 Zero St. Formed in 1978, it is the oldest soccer club in Arkansas.
The club almost closed in 2022. There are youth leagues for ages 3 to 18 for recreational soccer and for development. There were 67 teams in the last recreational program and the teams are signing up for the fall leagues.
Gatesman said the league leases fields. He said artificial turf fields and an indoor facility are needed for the youth leagues in Fort Smith.
As far as a pro team, Gatesman said, "I think it would be possible. We currently have a semi-pro. team."
The River Valley Bullies are a semi-professional team that consists a college players on summer breaks in the USPL.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Fort Smith had a minor league baseball team that attracted a few thousand fans a game, and a pro soccer team could do the same, he believes.
"I think soccer is growing. It has always been kind of underserved in Fort Smith. I just think the opportunity for soccer in this area is large we just need the facilities and financial support," Gatesman said. The future looks good for youth soccer, he said. The women's World Cup and the U.S.A women competing for the Cup for a third time this year has boosted interest in the sport.
"Soccer is definitely going to continue to grow," Gatesman said.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Could pro soccer come to Fort Smith, Arkansas?
