The Tampa Bay Lightning today announced plans to re-open an outdoor hockey rink at Sprowls Horizon Sports Park in Pinellas Park. This comes with a $100K grant from the Lightning Foundation.
“The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Lightning Foundation are proud to support the Pinellas Park community through the reopening and enhancement of the outdoor hockey rink,” said Josh Dreith, Director of Community & Hockey Development for the Tampa Bay Lightning. “We look forward to seeing both youth and adults enjoy the game at this vibrant new park.”
The ball hockey rink at Sprowls Horizon Sports Park is part of an exciting new complex that features six turf diamonds, modeled after Major League spring training venues in Florida, six batting cages, a grass multipurpose field, along with a playground and premium fan amenities. The venue will provide opportunities across multiple sports, for all age groups, within the community, as well as welcoming visitors both regionally and nationally.
“The City of Pinellas Park is beyond grateful to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Lightning Foundation, and Mr. Vinik for this transformational grant for our new outdoor hockey rink at Sprowls Horizon Sports Park,” said Bart Diebold, City Manager of Pinellas Park. “This state-of-the-art facility will be a shining beacon of pride for Pinellas Park and the entire Tampa Bay region. We eagerly anticipate welcoming families and aspiring young athletes to our city. Our greatest hope is that as kids step onto this rink, seeing that iconic Lightning logo, they’ll be inspired to dream big – envisioning themselves as the next Nikita Kucherov or Victor Hedman, and believing anything is possible.”
The City of Pinellas Park was initially planning to renovate its existing sports complex. Fueled by grants from the State of Florida and the generosity of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Lightning Foundation, that original vision evolved into a premier youth sports destination – one that will not only serve the region but will draw national recognition as a hub for athletic excellence and community pride. This crucial funding also enabled the city to partner with the Sports Facilities Companies to construct this new complex.
“The city of Pinellas Park and the Sports Facilities Companies are fortunate to be partnering with a championship organization in the Tampa Bay Lightning that provides such a positive impact to our community and the greater Tampa Bay region,” said Michael Nielsen, General Manager of Sprowls Horizon Sports Park. “This rink will provide a first-class opportunity beyond our field sports for youth development in the sport of hockey.”
“This is the perfect example of public-private partnerships,” said Diebold, “To have two champions of our community in our corner — the Lightning and the Sports Facilities Companies — means the City of Pinellas Park can now serve our citizens, visitors across our region, and indeed, the nation.”
A ceremonial groundbreaking took place at the site on August 28, 2024, and construction commenced in December of last year. The grand opening for the new facility is currently slated for February 2026. Sprowls Horizon Sports Park is located at 4015 62nd Ave. N., Pinellas Park.
For more information about this project or other city related matters, please contact Chris Torello at (727) 369-5745 or ctorello@pinellas-park.com.