Plans For Former Minnesota Vikings HQ Released

EDEN PRARIE, MN — Since March, the Minnesota Vikings' former practice facility in Eden Prairie has sat vacant. On Wednesday, the future of the decades-old facility was revealed.

Minnesota-based health club chain Life Time Fitness is set to launch an all-new concept, "Life Time Sport," at Winter Park in Eden Prairie.

Following a pilot in Lakeville, Life Time Sport will kick off at the former Vikings practice facility once "modest" renovations are complete later this fall, the company said.

The indoor football field will be transformed into a space for six to eight small-sided soccer fields that can accommodate 60 to 80 players.

The two outdoor football fields will become 12 to 16 small-sided fields for another 120 to 160 kids. Life Time will also add a viewing area, lounge rooms with TVs and a cardio and weight room for adults.

In the interim, Life Time will offer outdoor play and limited access events in September.

A wait list has been established for interested families here. Details of the Winter Park lease are not being disclosed.

Life Time Sport

Life Time Sport offers "a flexible alternative to organized team play with schedules and formats that make it stress-free for parents to drop off their kids when it works for them," the company announced Wednesday.

Kids will take part in 10 minute scrimmages in a "no-pressure, fun environment," supervised by certified coach referees who will guide and motivate players during pick-up play. Players will be divided by age and ability, playing on smaller, short-sided fields for more touches on the ball.

The program is available for both members and non-members of Life Time.

"As I reflect on my youth, I recall how much fun playing soccer brought me," Life Time founder Bahram Akradi said in a statement.

"Every day after school, I dropped my books at home and joined my friends in the street to play this great sport. Nothing was structured and, along the way, we all learned valuable leadership lessons and life skills. Today, as a parent of young kids, I realize it is quite the opposite."

"Our lives – and those of our children – now are so incredibly organized, it can be inconvenient and exhausting," Akradi added.

"That's why I'm so passionate about Life Time Sport, which offers fun, free play and a controlled level of guidance from a coach so kids can get back to just being kids."

"Life Time has been a long-standing and valued partner of the Minnesota Vikings for decades," said Vikings Chief Operating Officer Kevin Warren. "We are excited to know Winter Park will be filled with fun through Life Time Sport while we continue to evaluate the long-term redevelopment plans for the property."

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