Improving communities through sport

Industry

Mixed-Use Development

Based on the continued growth of the $19.4 billion-dollar sports tourism industry, youth and amateur sports complexes are increasingly being positioned as anchor tenants in mixed-use development projects.

Over time, youth sports have proven to be reliable, recession-resistant drivers of traffic and new market spend, which is why the next generation of sports facilities are now being conceived with destination development in mind.

Mixed-use development assets that include retail, restaurants, hotels and family entertainment are all natural extensions of a well-planned sports complex and can play an important role in not only elevating the customer experience, but capturing the incremental spending generated by the sports audience — providing new revenue streams that can generate significant sales, hotel and property taxes over time.

The SF Companies offer turnkey solutions for assessing sports and recreation destinations and mixed-use development projects. These solutions include proven planning and finance services along with site selection from Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA), owner’s representation, venue planning and procurement services from Sports Facilities Development (SFD), and the operational expertise and unparalleled results of Sports Facilities Management (SFM).

Additionally, the SFM Network operates the nation’s largest network of sports tourism and recreation venues, driving more than $200 million in hotel and visitor spend annually. 

How We Help

Planning Services

It all starts with our Site Selection Scorecard that helps to assess not only the core sports asset but mixed-use development and auxiliary real estate opportunities. Our approach includes an assessment of the critical market factors that help to define a “right-sized” facility program, supported by detailed start-up & construction cost estimates and an institutional-grade five-year operational cash flow forecast.

Financing Strategy Development

Armed with our detailed market and financial forecasts, our team helps to transition the project from the feasibility to the funding, finance and strategic partnership development phase, engaging key stakeholders and funding partners on ways in which they can materially impact the project. Stakeholder, funding and major partner presentations are led by our team, as we help to negotiate letters of intent and establish agreements for the project.

Venue Development

After funding has been secured, our design, venue planning and procurement development team help to lead the construction and development support phases for the new sports venue. Vendor selection, construction management, and venue planning are all critical components of an on-time, on-budget project. Key staff must be hired during this phase and marketing as well as early business development strategies must be established in order ensure that the facility gets a jump-start on their financial goals.

Outsourced Management

Once construction nears completion, our experienced SFM leadership team will help to implement a systematized pre-opening management process that will transition the facility to become fully operational. The SFM team will hire and train staff, provide role clarity, set expectations as well as establish budgeting, benchmarking and best practices for developing new programs, managing operations, and initiating key marketing and branding strategies that will ultimately help the facility to meet and exceed their first-year revenue targets.

Featured Projects

Crete, Il

SFA conducted Funding Support Services for the client, which included identifying strategic public, private, and community partners, building a project presentation for potential funding sources (bound copies of financial forecasts, market research documents, and investor/lender information packets), and representing the project in formal meetings.

Fort Worth, TX

SFA conducted a comprehensive suite of products, including the market opportunity report, a financial forecast, an economic impact study, and funding support services. The engagement by defining the project, establishing revenue and business models, identifying potential project partners and funding mechanisms, and developing criteria for evaluating potential sites. As part of our Funding Support Services, we developed a project presentation for potential funding sources with an overview of the project, crafting a compelling and relevant message for select audiences. We then worked with our clients to facilitate meetings with key stakeholders and/or potential funding partners, including representatives from the private and/or public sector, reviewing financial forecasts, market research documents, investor/lender information packets.

Featured Team Leader

Founding Partner

Dev Pathik is widely regarded as a premier thought leader in the youth and amateur sports space. Through his work with the Aspen Institute’s Project Play 2020, relationships with various national governing bodies, the International City and County Managers Association, HBO’s Real Sports, TODAY Show, and others, Dev has given a unique voice to the development boom of youth sports, the social and economic responsibilities inherent in these projects, and broadened the opportunity for creating successful mixed-use developments with youth sports anchors. To learn more about Dev and the other members of our outstanding team, visit our team page.

Learn how we can serve at every stage and every step

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