In recent years, the landscape of American sports has been invigorated by a surge of innovation and investment, leading to the unveiling of state-of-the-art sports facilities across the nation. These new venues are not just architectural marvels but also hubs of community engagement, designed to host a wide array of events beyond traditional sports competitions. These facilities reflect a broadening perspective on what sports infrastructure can offer to cities and their residents, and demonstrate the need to present event organizers with multi-purpose venues.

AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk

Excitement continues to build for this site in Overland Park, Ks. In a rarity, plans have been changed for AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk so that it can host more events than originally planned. Phase One of construction will unveil eight hardwood basketball courts, which can convert to 16 volleyball courts, alongside facilities that host pickleball. Plans also include an NHL regulation-size ice rink, a 40,000-sq.-ft. turf field, locker rooms, and an e-sports center. The first phase of this 420,000 sq.-ft. facility will debut this fall.

Circle K Fieldhouse at Nexus Park

Circle K Fieldhouse is a welcomed addition to Columbus, Indiana (less than an hour from Indianapolis and 90 minutes from Cincinnati). The venue is heavily promoting its adaptability. Its baseline is four basketball courts (two high school and two collegiate regulation), eight hardwood volleyball courts, and six pickleball courts. But it can be expanded up to 12 temporary volleyball courts, 16 high school basketball courts, 40 pickleball courts, 30 high school wrestling mats, and more. There is also 100,000 square feet of turf for soccer, football, and diamond sports.

Cornerstone Sports Complex 

Opening day for Cornerstone Sports Complex in Starkville, Ms., was last fall. The state-of-the-art, 12-diamond facility aims for Mississippi to really up its game for baseball and softball events. A stone’s throw from home to Mississippi State University, the 124-acre complex comes complete with lighted fields and 668 parking spaces.

Corpus Christi Athletic Club

Work on a new 20,000-sq.-ft. pickleball facility is in full swing in Corpus Christi, Tx. When complete, the Corpus Christi Athletic Club will have the 32 pickleball courts on-site for tournaments and local recreational action. The new courts should be good to go this fall.

Kernersville Recreation & Event Center

This new addition to the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, N.C., will offer three NBA-sized courts upon its opening, scheduled for late 2024 or early 2025.  

Pure Pickleball

As Connect Sports recently highlighted, Pure Pickleball fills many news in Scottsdale, Ariz. The massive new site will not only add valuable courts to one of the sport’s true hotbeds, but will also serve as USA Pickleball’s headquarters. This facility is one of the examples of how far pickleball has grown and how much more potential it has. The 10-acre campus will open in 2024 and feature 29 courts, a 500-seat stadium, and many more amenities.

Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events

A former Belk store in Macon, Ga., is now home to Rhythm and Rally Sports and Events, the world’s largest indoor pickleball site (pictured above). The 32-court facility, operated by The Sports Facilities Companies, has already drawn national headlines and hosted several notable events. Perhaps more importantly, it could signal a new era of repurposing indoor sites to host the country’s fastest-growing sport. 

Saraland Sports Complex

Construction is underway for the 100-acre Saraland Sports Complex, which will feature indoor and outdoor spaces about 20 minutes from Mobile, Ala. KemperSports is attached to operate the facility, which is promoting courts for basketball, volleyball (beach and harcourt), tennis, and pickleball, as well as an outdoor track, eight diamond fields, and five multi-purpose surfaces for soccer, field hockey, football, lacrosse, and more. The outdoor venues are slated to debut later this year and the projected completion date for the entire Saraland Sports Complex is 2025.

SouthShore Sportsplex

SouthShore Sportsplex, just outside of Tampa, bills itself as the largest synthetic turf complex in the nation. It opened in 2023 with four multisport fields–sporting synthetic Astro turf–ideal for soccer, lacrosse, football, or other competitions using rectangular fields.
features four multisport, opened in 2023–bringing new options for soccer, football, lacrosse, and other sports using rectangular fields.

West Monroe Sports & Events

This long-awaited facility in Monroe, La., opened in Summer 2023, adding indoor space for eight basketball courts or 16 volleyball or pickleball courts. 
 

Photo Credit: Visit Macon