From Realtor Magazine
Youth Sports Tourism Generates Opportunities
At a time when many traditional commercial sectors are under pressure, youth sports facilities stand out as a growth niche and driver of sports tourism. Globally, in 2025, the assessed value of the youth sports industry is $56.2 billion, with a projected value of $154.5 billion by 2035. The trend is fueling the development of amenities for families traveling up to eight hours for their children's participation in sports tournaments, says Ashley Whittaker, partner and senior vice president of The Sports Facilities Companies.
"The youth travel sports market has proven to be very reliable," says Whittaker, noting that it was the only tourism sector to grow during the 2008 recession and the first to recover after COVID. "People want their kids to be out and playing sports."
The average U.S. sports family spent $1,016 on their child's primary sports last year—a 46% increase since 2019, according to a parent survey by the Aspen Institute. The sector offers opportunities for commercial practitioners specializing in hotels, restaurants, retail, and entertainment—all components of a successful youth sports complex.
Hospitality and entertainment underpin sports tourism
Since Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater, a first-class sports venue in Albertville, Ala., opened in 2020, 400,000 square feet of retail, hospitality, and entertainment space have been built, with an additional 300,000 square feet under consideration, according to Michael Price, Albertville's economic development director.
"What started as a plan to replace a recreation center with one basketball court and a leaky pool evolved into a vision of becoming a sports tourism destination to enhance the community's quality of life," says Price. The vision quickly became a reality. In its first year of operation, the financial impact on the county was $14.2 million. Between 2020 and 2024, SMPA's assessed economic impact was over $80 million, reports Tanner Bozeman, SMPA's director of business development. Of its 300,000 visitors this year, Bozeman estimates that 65% are associated with the park’s youth sports facility.
Attracting amenities: A chicken or egg dilemma
Vital to the success of youth sports tourism are sufficient amenities, especially hotels, to accommodate traveling athletes and parents. "Without hotels, it's difficult to host big events," says Whittaker, citing the 150-acre Emerald Acres Sports Connection in Mattoon, Ill., which reports 580,000 visitors each year and an annual economic impact of $23.8 million. An initial lack of overnight accommodation limited the ability to book larger events. "Ideally, if there is a lack of inventory, hotels are developed concurrently with the complex so they can open at the same time," says Whittaker.
To address the "chicken-or-egg" challenge of attracting hotel operators simultaneously with facility development, Albertville city leaders invested considerable effort during the pre-construction phase to generate interest, including attending ICSC retail shows with a virtual reality walk-through of SMPA renderings. Price believes this gave them a head start in garnering interest.
Engage local EDOs
The fierce competition among large metro areas to attract a national sports franchise through financial incentives, subsidies, and infrastructure and development packages underscores the economic impact of sports tourism on local markets. Increasingly, smaller communities are adopting a similar approach focused on youth sports. “Incentives for developers vary by project," says Whittaker. "It depends on the toolkit of the municipality.”
Albertville approved a 1 cent sales tax to fund a bond issue for SMPA’s construction and related infrastructure improvements. “The city remains involved with SMPA as it relates to strategic vision and high-level operations,” says Price. “My office uses visitor data in recruitment packages and on-site developer tours.” The tax remains in effect to fund future capital improvements and expansions.
While some municipalities collaborate with organizations like The Sports Facilities Companies to develop and operate their youth sports complexes, there is a role for local commercial specialists. Price notes that local developers, brokers, and contractors were involved in bringing in food and entertainment businesses to SMPA.
Saving the economy
Less than 100 miles south of Albertville lies Hoover, Ala., which invested more than $70 million in 2017 to expand its local stadium into a 145-acre multisport complex. The goal was to retain its host status for the annual SEC baseball tournament and associated economic benefits. Opened in 2018, the Hoover Met Complex hosts a variety of sporting events, concerts and other large-scale functions. In its first fiscal year, the complex generated $14.86 million, outperforming economic impact projections. For 2024, the total economic impact was $91.3 million.
Whittaker, whose organization assisted Hoover, says the community took time to realize the long-term impact of youth sports. "When you build sports first and drive the amount of traffic that we have in Hoover, real estate development will come," says Whittaker.
Jordan Hosey, a broker and developer with HBH Realty in Hoover, envisioned the future impact and seized the opportunity to develop 2.3 acres of commercially zoned land near the Met Complex for condos permitted for use as short-term rentals.
"I believe the area around the Hoover Met Complex is the strongest local commercial market because of how many neighborhoods it supports," says Hosey, who is about to open a new office near the sports complex. Hosey estimates the area's property values have nearly doubled and remain in high demand.
Broker strategies
Jim Tansey, CCIM, president of Hawkeye Commercial Real Estate in Davenport, Iowa, personally knows the benefits a youth sports complex offers a community. "When my kids were growing up, we had to travel overnight to events," says Tansey. Today, it's a short drive to the 75-acre TBK Bank Sport Complex in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Chris Wilkins, Hawkeye's vice president and senior broker, has represented the project's two developers since plans for its 2018 opening were announced. "Initially, a few businesses came in, but then, every month or so, something new came along," says Wilkins. Now, more than 30 local businesses make up ‘The Plex,’ with room to grow. The area has also attracted two hospitals, a bank, and other large commercial operations. In 2024, the project generated $76 million in economic impact.
Tansey's firm maintains relationships with tenant reps throughout the Midwest. “Those relationships and getting the word out to people in the hospitality sector are invaluable in prospecting for tenants in a tertiary market,” says Tansey. “We know our audience and we know the available land and the types of retailers that would benefit.”
While large sports complexes are gaining in popularity, smaller-scale opportunities exist, particularly in communities where local schools can't support a wide range of youth sports. Kirra Krussman, CCIM, a senior associate broker with Capacity Commercial Group in Portland, Ore., has brokered numerous locations for various single youth sports activities. She benefits from knowing the local EDO director. “I hear what the region is interested in, and the identified roadblocks,” says Krussman. “The information puts me in a good position to identify the ROI for the municipality, including opportunities for adaptive reuse.”
If you build it, will they come?
Whittaker encourages industry specialists to work with the local government. “Youth sports facilities are not a high-margin niche,” says Whittaker. “Success for developers comes from the ability to lease parcels and attract businesses. We've seen people who built it wrong and can't attract events or other commercial ventures, and now have a financial problem.”
“‘Build it and they will come’ is a nice idea, but it's not realistic,” says Whittaker. “You must think holistically about the customer experience, set clear goals, and build to meet those goals.” Her company's mantra is “build it right, operate it well, and they will come.”
Playing in the Big Leagues
Major league expansions, along with the rapidly growing popularity of women's leagues and niche sports such as rugby and cricket, create opportunities for commercial specialists to engage in the sports tourism niche at the highest level.
Major league baseball has been in Atlanta since 1966, when the Braves relocated from Milwaukee—but the Braves have played in their current location, Truist Park, only since 2017.
CREATE Magazine spoke with Dana Johnson, executive director of SelectCobb, the economic development organization for Cobb County, Ga. (bordering Atlanta's Fulton County) and Lauren Abernethy, vice president of marketing for the Braves Development Co., about the decision to relocate the team from Turner Field in downtown Atlanta. Their insights may benefit commercial real estate specialists looking to tap into this unique market.
Site selection: The goal was a multiuse, all-in-one campus. “Fans want more than a stadium surrounded by parking,” says Johnson, noting that this model doesn't provide sufficient ROI for a public entity. “Creating a center that would support 365 days of activity drove all decisions,” says Abernethy.
Abernethy believes the biggest challenge was securing enough land for the simultaneous development of a multiuse project and a stadium. The Braves were able to acquire a large parcel of undeveloped land in an otherwise developed area. An intercontinental petroleum pipeline ran through the property. “No one had previously asked about moving the pipeline,” says Abernethy, “but working with the utility, we found a great solution that everyone was happy with.”
Incentives: There were no tax abatements for any part of the development. However, the county floated bonds after the expiration of existing bonds so the public would not see a tax increase. Limited new tourism taxes helped to cover the public share of the stadium development. The Braves covered most of the stadium cost and 100% of the mixed-use project expense. “Both groups [the Braves organization and the county government] benefitted from the public-private partnership,” says Johnson.
Market impact: “The effect on the real estate market has been astronomical,” says Johnson. “Immediately following the Braves' announcement, five new office towers were planned in the area.” In 2014, before the stadium development, the area now known as The Battery Atlanta consisted of four parcels with a taxable value of $5 million. By 2024, this same area included 56 parcels with a combined taxable value of $577 million, according to the park’s 2024 Year in Review.
Maximizing opportunities: The Braves organization has hosted over 150 sports teams interested in the Braves’ model of owning and operating their own facilities, providing complete control over the visitor experience, including open container policies and pedestrian-only zones. “We believe that our property provides a unique, effective work-live-play experience,” says Abernethy. “As the market evolves, we will continue to work alongside our partners to address their needs and create positive commercial real estate impact in Cobb County.”
