Report: Downtown setting better fit for Sioux Falls Stadium

If the Sioux Falls Canaries get a new home anytime soon, it should go downtown.

That's one of the takeaways from a report that's been shared with the Sioux Falls City Council that resulted from an intensive study of city-owned entertainment and convention facilities that took place last fall.

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The primary focus for consultants with Minneapolis-based Conventions, Sports & Leisure (CSL) International was the Sioux Falls Arena and helping the city chart a path forward for the 53-year-year old "war horse," as Mayor Mike Huether refers to it.

But with the Sioux Falls Stadium's proximity to the arena and a host of equipment and an estimated $2.5 million worth of repair projects needed there, that facility also got a look from the consultants.

"Given the age of the stadium relative to others in the (Canaries') league, it is reasonable to assume that new stadium construction in the near future would be warranted," reads the executive summary of the 78-page report.

Sioux Falls Stadium is 55 years old and hasn't had any major upgrades in nearly two decades. The report says annual attendance averages there have declined steadily since 2013, which could be a result of the game experience that an outdated facility provides patrons.

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A new stadium and a more active location could bring those attendance numbers back up, according to the report.

"To create a superior before- and after-game experience for fans, many markets see stadium development take place in downtown areas that are within close proximity of restaurants and entertainment," it reads. "This type of setting for any new stadium development in Sioux Falls should be pursued."

Officials with the city and the facility management organizations that run city owned properties declined to comment for this story until CSL consultants are able to present their findings, including their examinations of the arena, the Sioux Falls Convention Center and the Orpheum Theater, to the City Council during next week's informational meeting.