Dordt Partners with City of Sioux Center on Indoor Turf Dome

Dordt University will partner with the City of Sioux Center on the construction of an indoor turf dome. The air-supported structure will be approximately 250 by 450 feet in size and 75 feet high, and it will be owned by the City of Sioux Center. The dome will be located at Open Space Park, east of the All Seasons Center parking lot. The City of Sioux Center and Dordt officials anticipate that the indoor turf dome will be constructed by winter of 2022.

“We believe the dome will benefit both Dordt athletics and the greater Sioux Center community,” says Ross Douma, Dordt’s athletic director. “For a community our size to have access to an indoor turf dome will be a great chance for Dordt and the Sioux Center community to enhance athletic and recreational programs, provide institutional visibility, and highlight community partnerships.”

The dome will be utilized for a variety of activities. “For example, this could be a full football field, a full soccer field, three under 12 soccer fields across, or two softball fields,” says Howard Wilson, vice president for university operations.

The dome will be operated under a 28E agreement, which is an Iowa law that regulates public-private partnerships. The City of Sioux Center, the Sioux Center school district, and Dordt have a long history of forming community partnerships. One agreement governs the Open Space Park through a partnership between the City of Sioux Center, the Sioux Center school district, and Dordt; the All Seasons Center, which houses an ice arena and a swimming complex, is a partnership between Dordt and the City of Sioux Center. The indoor turf dome will provide a third partnership for the area.

“The ability to partner in our community is the envy of others as these three entities work so well together,” says Douma.

Dordt students will have access to the dome, including athletic team events as well as winter intramurals.

“The dome will greatly enhance our athletic programs and provide for the physical well-being of all Dordt students,” says Douma. “Our instructional skills and workout designs will be different, and it will allow for more robust and comprehensive practice sessions.”

Sioux Center has always been a progressive community, says Wilson, and having the only indoor turf facility within 60 miles shows that the city continues to live out its motto of “growing bright.”

“The dome will attract people from all over Siouxland, and it will help the city’s economy. Dordt is a partner in a progressive community, and we bring a growth mindset to where we want to be in the future.”

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Dordt, located in Sioux Center, Iowa, is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.