Reston is getting a combined basketball and futsal court, but it’ll be at a different site than what the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) previously proposed.
After seeking public input this spring on upgrades at South Lakes Drive Park, the park authority has teamed up with the Volkswagen Group of America and the Great Outdoor Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to recreational amenities, to instead build the dual-purpose court at Stratton Woods Park (2431 Fox Mill Road).
The court will replace Stratton Woods Park’s existing basketball court with a new facility that can also accommodate futsal, a scaled-down version of soccer that’s typically played indoors on a hardcourt like basketball.
Construction on the new court will begin “immediately” and wrap up this fall, the park authority and the Great Outdoors Fund announced yesterday (Thursday) in a joint press release.
“We believe in the power of partnerships to drive positive change,” the Great Outdoors Fund founder and CEO Lori McCullough said. “Through our partnership with Volkswagen Group of America, we’re not just transforming a basketball court and adapting it for multiple uses — we’re investing in the health and vitality of our society.”
According to McCullough, her nonprofit started working with the FCPA after Volkswagen reached out last fall in the hopes of supporting a project near its North American headquarters at 1950 Opportunity Way in Reston Town Center’s expansion.
As a partner of the U.S. Soccer Federation since 2019, the German vehicle maker’s American branch supports youth soccer clinics and programs intended to promote the game.
The Great Outdoors Fund launched in 2017 to help fund outdoor recreational facilities by connecting public and private partners. Past projects have included a free sailing program in Baltimore, a campground expansion in Colorado and trail improvements in Georgia, among others, but the Stratton Woods court is the nonprofit’s first in Fairfax County.
“We contacted FCPA and gave them the parameters of the type of project we were looking for. We also mentioned that Volkswagen loves soccer,” McCullough told FFXnow. “FCPA has just completed a futsal court conversion analysis so it seemed like a perfect fit.”
The futsal analysis was conducted as part of a broader review of the county’s sports courts, according to FCPA spokesperson Benjamin Boxer.
Presented to the Park Authority Board’s development committee on Feb. 28 and the full board on March 13, the analysis revised guidelines for pickleball facilities, while recommending a shift in focus and resources to renovations for basketball and tennis courts in “subpar condition.” It also identified a need for more futsal venues, since the FCPA currently has just one court at Spring Lane Park in Bailey’s Crossroads.
At that time, park authority staff proposed adding combined basketball and futsal courts at four parks: Mount Vernon Woods, Dunn Loring, Hybla Valley and South Lakes Drive.
However, the South Lakes project has now been relocated to Stratton Woods, as the FCPA reconsiders its approach to enhancing the more centrally located Reston park.
“We will be working with the community to address a more comprehensive workplan for park improvements to South Lakes Drive Park,” Boxer said. “We will have more information about proposed improvements there as the process continues.”
The Stratton Woods project will cost an estimated $229,000, most of which is being funded by the FCPA. Volkswagen Group of America contributed $75,000 to the Great Outdoors Fund, including $50,000 that went to the park authority for construction and other “direct project costs,” McCullough says.
The nonprofit will use the remaining $25,000 from Volkswagen to cover project management and marketing costs, including for a community ribbon-cutting event planned to celebrate the court’s completion in early October.
According to Boxer, the public money is coming from a capital sinking fund created to address infrastructure needs and funds allocated to athletic court improvements in opportunity areas where the park authority sees a greater need for resources to address racial and social inequities.
“We’re ecstatic to collaborate with The Great Outdoors Fund and Volkswagen to bring this project to fruition,” FCPA Executive Director Jai Cole said in the press release. “The Park Authority is dedicated to expanding and improving diverse recreational opportunities for all residents.”
