Kent County Sport Facility: Making a Dream a Reality

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Kent County Sport Facility Making a Dream a
Reality

• Linda Parkowski Cindy Small
• Delaware Tourism Office Kent County CVB

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Questions?

• What can meet the wants and needs of the majority
  of youth in Kent County area?
• What can serve as an economic generator by
  attracting visitors to Kent County?
• What is somewhat recession proof?
• What is healthy and receives parental support?
• What can enhances overall quality of life for
  everyone in Kent County?

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ANSWER

• Sport
• A Sport Facility

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IMAGINE

• 15 multipurpose fields hosting soccer, lacrosse,
  field hockey and football.
• A lighted, Turf stadium seating for up to 1000,
• A concession stand and pro shop.
• Locker rooms, meeting rooms, and restrooms.
• Thousands of children and adults from Kent County
  using the facility
• Thousands of outside visitors in Kent County
  because of the facility

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IMAGINE
United Sports Training Center Downingtown, PA
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Benefits of Kent County Sport Facility

• Economic Impact
• Increased Visitors/Tourist to County
• Improved Quality of Living in Kent County
• Recreational Outlet for Youth
• Increased Property Values
• Increased Taxes
• Increased County and State Visibility
• Effective Use of County Land Bank

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Benefits of Kent County Facility

• Allows Kent County and State to pursue bids to
  host more youth sport events
• Job creation
• Better ROI than other possible facilities
• Less Expense in developing land bank
• Increased Revenues for Hotels, Restaurants and
  Shopping
• Brings people from different backgrounds together

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Economic Impact Facts

• Amateur Sport
• Estimated 3.3 billion to 4 billion in direct
  spending at amateur sports events in the United
  States.
• That's more than 10 times the estimated economic
  impact of the 2005 Super Bowl.
• The Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events
  Committee
• estimated that economic impact generated from
  sporting events held in Chattanooga in 2005,
  surpassed the 23.8 million mark.

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Economic Impact Facts

• U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 Championships
• Charlestown, West Virginia
• Provided over 12 million in economic impact
• Over 20,000 people in 5 days

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Why Tournaments?

• The visitors shop in our stores
• Eat in our restaurants
• Stay in our hotels?pay accommodations tax
• Buy groceries and snacks
• Buy gas and pay tolls
• All with out-of-state money

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To Host Tournaments

• Selection criteria for tournament site
  committees includes
• At least 14 fields in one location
• Minimum number of Hotels in close proximity
• Variety of Restaurants in close proximity.
• Central geographic location for individuals and
  or teams participating.

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Tournaments

• Imagine a permanent home for the Tournament of
  Bands
• 10,000 participants plus 7,000 spectators every
  year in November
• Economic impact to Kent County
• 4 million

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Tournaments

• Imagine 4-6 regional tournaments for each of the
  sports listed with economic impact of 2.5
  million each annually
• Imagine 2-4 national tournaments with economic
  impact between 3-6 million dollars each.
• Imagine Tournament of Bands 4 million annually
• Thats an estimated economic impact of
• 30 million in one year!!!

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Lost Business in 12 Weeks

• US Lacrosse 2009 U-15 National Championships
• 64 Teams - July 2009 - 3000 attendees - 5 days
• Estimated economic impact 2.7 million
• Needed 15 Lacrosse fields
• AY Football Regional Tournament November 2009
• 36 Teams - November 2009 - 3 days
• Estimated economic impact 1.8 million
• Needed 6 Football Fields
• Tournament of Bands
• November every year needs a Football stadium
• Economic impact 4 million
• Total Economic Loss 8.5M in 12 weeks

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Example of Economic Impact to Kent County
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We Need the Business

• Economic Recession has had a severe effect on
  numerous Delaware businesses
• Hotel occupancy rates have dropped dramatically
  in the past few years
• More and more hotels have been built, which has
  flooded the market
• Kent County Sport Facility can bring business
  during the slower, non-summer months

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Hotel Occupancy in Kent County
2007, of Hotel Rooms 1,740 2009, of
Hotel Rooms 2,900
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Excess Demand for Fields

• With thousands of youth players participating in
  sports, grass fields are being overused and
  destroyed
• The overuse of these fields leads to a poor
  quality playing surface? LESS SAFETY
• Decreasing number of quality fields in Delaware
• Kent County Sports Facility would alleviate these
  problems

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Growth of Soccer

• The Delaware Youth Soccer Association (DYSA) has
  reported that participation has increased by 15
  since 2000---from 10,000-11,500 registered
  players.
• Soccer continues to grow despite the fact that
  Delawares population/demographics are growing
  older.
• 48 Delaware high schools have varsity soccer
  programs

According to Dr. Lewis Atkinson, Director of
Coaching for DYSA
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Growth of Field Hockey

• 2002 Delaware had 39 high schools operating
  field hockey programs with 1,372 total players
• 2008 Participation grew to 44 high schools and a
  total of 1,511 players

Information provided by Kevin Charles
(Director of DIAA) and Thomas Neubauer (DIAA
Coordinator of Officials/Events)
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Overall Growth of Lacrosse

• From 2001-2008, participation in youth lacrosse
  in the state of Delaware has increased by an
  average of 57.
• High school lacrosse, from 2001-2008, has seen
  its participation increase by an average of
  115.3!

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Growth in Lacrosse in Delaware
534.70
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Growth of Girls Lacrosse in Delaware

• Participation in Youth Girls Lacrosse increased
  by 534.7 !!
• Participation in High School Girls Lacrosse
  rose by 140 !!

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Growth of Boys Lacrosse in Delaware

• Participation in Youth Boys Lacrosse has risen
  by 16.1.
• Participation in High School Boys Lacrosse has
  increased escalated by 103.6.

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Closest Competing Facilities

• United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, PA
  utilizes a central reservation system for sponsor
  hotels.
• Every room booked for a tournament goes through
  the central reservation system (in Downingtown's
  case is operated by the local CVB) with a booking
  fee payable to the United Sports Training Center.
• Closest hotels are at least 15 miles away from
  the facility.

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Other Facilities

• This system is used throughout the country with
  the hotels paying a fee to be listed as an
  official hotel therefore the hotels are only
  paying for rooms actually booked not a tax on all
  rooms.

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Could be this
Maryland SoccerPlex Germantown, MD
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Or This
Maryland SoccerPlex Germantown, MD
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Sample Layout
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Sample Layout
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Case Study Blaine Minnesota

• The National Sports Center in Blaine Minnesota
  opened in 1990 with an initial investment from
  the State of Minnesota.
• It is now a self supporting entity operated by a
  non-profit foundation.

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Added Opportunities

• Central location would make this facility an
  ideal location to host state championships
• Hosting state championships would have
  significant economic impact for Kent County
• Would eliminate the challenge of finding and
  scheduling adequate facilities for various sport
  championships every year
• Hosting state championships would raise the
  visibility of Kent County

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Sports vs. Other Options

• Kent County Facility would have lower overall
  cost than building other facilities, such as an
  industrial park.
• Would also offer a significant return on
  investment
• Sports have more potential to produce strong
  economic numbers, while providing community
  members with recreation and improved quality of
  life.
• K.C. Sport Facility MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

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Public/Private Partnership

• Public (Kent County)
• Land Bank
• Infrastructure
• Bonds and or Taxes
• Private (Sport Club)
• Expertise in Running
• Revenue Generation
• Secure Capital

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Delaware Sports Commission

• To bid, recruit, and host regional and national
  sporting events at all levels of competition in
  the State for the purpose of utilizing sports
  facilities in the State, enhancing the economic
  development of the State, and promoting Delaware
  as a destination for amateur and professional
  sports.
• Goal Attract sporting events to the State
  for economic development

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Types of Sporting Events

• Multi-day National
• Single Day National
• Multi-day Regional
• Single Day Regional
• Multi-day Local
• Single Day Local

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Stakeholders/Partners

• State Tourism Office
• Kent County Levy Court
• Kent County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Greater Dover Committee
• Local Sport Organizations
• Members of the Local Community

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Path Forward

• Site Evaluation
• Feasibility Study
• Find owner/ operator
• Form the Kent County Sports Foundation or similar
  501(c)(3)

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• THANK YOU!