More than two years after Wichita unveiled plans for a major football complex at Dr. Glen Dey Park — formerly Grove Park — there are new signs the ambitious project is moving toward reality.
The Wichita City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to authorize the city to apply for a $10 million federal grant for what is now being called the Barry Sanders Football Complex in northeast Wichita.
The Community Voice first reported plans for the football complex in July 2024, when then-District 1 Councilmember Brandon Johnson outlined an eight-field, $20 million project he hoped could be completed in time for the 2025 football season. The proposal included turf fields, concessions, expanded parking, an awards plaza and a statue.
At that time, however, the project was simply presented as a new football complex at Grove Park. It had not yet been publicly named for Barry Sanders.
Since then, the project has taken on Sanders’ name and the Sanders family has become involved in helping move the project forward. City officials say the family has been working with Wichita Parks and Recreation and the Wichita Parks Foundation and is expected to help build support and assist with fundraising.
The association gives the project added stature. Sanders, a Wichita North High graduate, won the 1988 Heisman Trophy at Oklahoma State and became one of the most celebrated running backs in NFL history during his career with the Detroit Lions.
The original completion date came and went.
Meanwhile, Wichita restructured its youth football program around Wichita Public Schools feeder patterns, and games increasingly moved to high school fields. As that transition took place and little was heard publicly about the proposed complex, it was easy to wonder whether separate football fields at Glen Dey remained part of the city’s plans.
When Johnson left office, he specifically identified the unfinished Glen Dey youth football fields as one of the projects he regretted not completing and said he hoped his successor would continue the work.
Now it is clear the project has continued to develop.
At a city media briefing Thursday, current District 1 Councilmember Joseph Shepard made a point of crediting Johnson.
“Projects like this do not happen overnight,” Shepard said. “They begin because someone sees that vision in the space that can become much more than what it currently is.”
He said Johnson’s work “helped lay the foundation” for the project now moving forward.
$10 Million Could Be A Major Boost
The city is seeking funding through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership, or ORLP, grant program, a federal program administered by the National Park Service and funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The ORLP grant is a 50-50 matching grant, reimbursing up to 50% of eligible project costs. Wichita is requesting $10 million and proposes matching the federal money primarily with $10 million raised through the Wichita Parks Foundation, along with $500,000 already included in the city’s 2027-2035 Capital Improvement Program for project design.
With the city’s current estimate for Phase 1 at $20 million, a full $10 million federal award combined with the required matching funds could cover the cost of that first phase.
The Glen Dey project also appears to line up well with the purpose of the ORLP program. The National Park Service describes ORLP as a program designed to help urban communities develop or improve public parks and outdoor recreation spaces, particularly in underserved communities.
City staff specifically identified the proposed football complex as eligible because it is in an urban area serving a low-income community and would expand youth athletics opportunities.
More Than Just Neighborhood Football Fields
The project has evolved since the first plans were released in 2024.
The city’s current Phase 1 concept calls for five synthetic-turf fields plus a championship field with a stadium and plaza, along with earthwork, utilities, a restroom/concession building and a covered stage area.
Renderings also show a Barry Sanders statue prominently positioned near the entry area, further tying the complex to one of Wichita’s most recognizable sports figures.
A proposed $18 million Phase 2 would add a large covered track facility, an operations building and two additional restroom buildings, bringing the complete project vision to about $38 million.
Wichita already has a Barry Sanders Field at McAdams Park, but for years there have been calls in the community for the city to do more to honor the hometown football legend. The existing field has never seemed to match the stature of a Heisman Trophy winner and Pro Football Hall of Famer whose name is known around the world.
The proposed Glen Dey complex would be on an entirely different scale — a regional sports destination bearing Sanders’ name, complete with a championship field, stadium and a planned statue at the entrance. For many, it could finally provide the kind of hometown tribute that better reflects Sanders’ football legacy.
Wichita Says Football Facilities Lag Behind Other Sports
City officials say there is a practical reason for investing heavily in football.
“Youth football is a major staple” of Wichita Parks and Recreation programming, according to the city’s grant report, but football “does not currently have the same quality of playing fields in the area as other sports.”
The proposed complex is designed not only to improve facilities for local players but to attract teams from outside Wichita.
The city’s plans call for a facility capable of hosting youth and adult football, flag football, regional competitions and championship games. Its project materials identify increased tourism and additional business for hotels, restaurants and other local businesses among the expected benefits.
“Tournaments and special events can bring teams and families across the entire region to our great city,” Shepard said Thursday. “This is what makes an investment like this so powerful. It strengthens our neighborhoods, it creates opportunities for kids, and it attracts visitors to our community, all at the same time.”
The Sanders family’s involvement could also prove important to the fundraising effort. Parks Director Reggie Davidson told the Wichita Park Board in 2025 that fundraising efforts included exploring outreach to NFL organizations, Detroit Lions ownership and the Ford Foundation. There is no indication yet that any of those organizations have committed funding.
The city is also pursuing major sponsors, with published sponsorship levels including $6 million for a title sponsor, $2 million for a Gold sponsor and $1 million for a Silver sponsor.
Community Can Help Build It
Residents who want to contribute at a more accessible level can become part of the city’s “Build the Legacy” campaign.
Individuals, families and businesses can purchase personalized commemorative bricks for $200 each. The bricks will be installed permanently at the football complex, with Park Board records indicating they are planned for the front of the stadium.
What Happens Next
The grant is far from guaranteed.
Wichita’s application is due to the state’s lead agency by Oct. 1, 2026. If the project is selected to advance from Kansas, the final application must be submitted to the National Park Service by Nov. 1, 2026.
Award notifications are expected by May 1, 2027.
For residents who remember the excitement surrounding the original 2024 announcement — and then watched the anticipated 2025 opening pass without construction — the federal application provides perhaps the strongest indication yet that the football complex remains very much alive.
And if Wichita lands the $10 million grant, the project now carrying Barry Sanders’ name could take a substantial step closer to moving from plans and renderings to reality.
