Springfield Business Journal_2021-03-29

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 9 MARCH 29 -APRIL 4, 2021 X X X O OO B SPORTS & BUSINESS by Emily Cole · ecole@sbj.net Between expansion at existing facilities, newly opened complexes and developments in progress, the Ozarks area is jumping at the chance to grow its options for sports. In the last year, Springfield City Council has been in discussions about two projects with combined planned investments exceeding $20 million – an upgrade to Lake Coun- try Soccer Inc. and the new SGF Sports LLC complex west of Deer Lake Golf Course. Meanwhile in December, D1 Sports announced a 20-acre complex planned in Ozark, and 417 Athletics opened a $5 million, 55,000-square- foot facility in Mount Vernon. John Markey, executive direc- tor of Lake Coun- try Soccer, said part of the sports industry growth comes from in- creasingly or- ganized youth sports leagues, including club organizations that are not affiliated with schools “When there’s a need, entre- preneurs are going to step up and they’re going to take advantage of that need and provide facilities,” Markey said. Lance Kettering, director of the Springfield Sports Commission, said the demand for these facilities has always been there, and tournament organizers are looking for better quality fields than what Springfield currently can offer. Meeting those needs comes with a big advantage: sports tourism. “Sports tourism is powerful; it’s impactful,” Kettering said. “A lot of times cities were investing in con- vention centers to invest in business travelers – it’s the same thing with sports.” Anchor facilities Kettering said the attention of developers and the sports commis- sion right now is on improving what options are offered in the area. A 2019 study of Springfield’s sports fa- cilities by sports tourism consulting firm Huddle Up Group LLC, found the city lacked anchor facilities, or those that have enough courts or fields to host major events. Huddle Up Group defines the an- chor threshold for flat field facilities, such as soccer complexes, at a mini- mum of 16 fields, while hardwood courts must have a minimum of eight basketball and 16 volleyball courts, and dia- mond complexes for baseball or softball must in- clude 12 fields. To be tournament friendly, the threshold is lower at a minimum of eight flat fields, four basketball and eight volleyball courts, and a mini- mum of eight diamond fields. After analyzing Springfield’s of- ferings, the Huddle Up Group report recommended adding a new facil- ity to the city that could meet an- chor specifications and attract more events. By doing that, the report estimated Springfield could draw in $16 million in visitor spending, nearly 21,000 hotel room nights and over $160,000 in sales tax collec- tions each year. Utilizing the results of the report, Kettering said the Springfield Sports Commission identified the area’s top four needs: adding an anchor in- door sports facility; expanding Lake Country Soccer into an anchor flat- field complex; increasing offerings for baseball and softball fields; and upgrading Springfield’s BMX track. Kettering said the commission does GAME CHANGERS Updated and new sports complexes have the power to boost tourism, but officials say the area lacks an anchor facility MCKENZIE ROBINSON See GAME on page 17 John Markey, Lake Country Soccer CYNTHIA REEVES $16M Potential annual economic impact from an anchor sports complex