Saturday, August 19 marked the much-anticipated grand opening of the Fort Bend Epicenter, a day of celebration, community engagement, and an undeniable spirit of unity. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., residents of Fort Bend County and surrounding areas came together to witness the unveiling of what promises to be a cornerstone for the community.

The event was made even more remarkable thanks to sponsor support from Energy Texas, Southwest Mitsubishi, GFL Environmental, Bud Light, Pepsi, and Chick-fil-A.

For the third consecutive year, Rocky Top Sports World has set a new economic impact record. During their ninth year in business, the 80-acre multisport facility welcomed more than 143,976 athletes, coaches, families, and friends to Gatlinburg. The award-winning complex contributed $76.3 million in economic impact during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.
Rocky Top Sports World saw an increase in the number of events, as well as the number of registrations at returning tournaments. The best-in-class facility hosted nearly 100 tournaments, camps, clinics, and events this past year and was booked 49 out of 52 weekends.

After analyzing over 2,000 communities over the last 20 years, The Sports Facilities Companies has predicted that the $39.7 billion youth and amateur travel sports and the $218 billion parks and recreation industries are colliding. They also predict that local government assets that are currently being operated by the parks department will require new models of operation and management to keep up with the demands of the private sector. With a 33% increase in the number of studies conducted for facilities from municipal clients, the evidence of the shift is already clear.