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Baseball is here to stay in Tampa Bay – this time, at the youth level.

That was the announcement at a groundbreaking event shrouded in secrecy Wednesday morning. Media were invited to a “new sports and recreation venue in the Tampa Bay area” at 4000 66th Avenue N. in Pinellas Park, just off US-19, to be opened by Pinellas Park Mayor Sandra Bradbury, Senator Nick DiCeglie (R–Indian Rocks Beach), former State House Speaker Chris Sprowls, and others.

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), a leader in sports and recreation venue management, is excited to announce its selection by the city of Pinellas Park as the operating partner for the Tampa Bay region’s newest outdoor sports complex, Sprowls Horizon Sports Park.

The Southeastern Conference, along with the City of Hoover and the Public Park and Recreation Board of the City of Hoover, announced Thursday an agreement to hold the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium through at least 2028.

Little League isn’t so little anymore. Youth sports have turned into a $30 billion-per-year business, Bloomberg reports, with parents spending an average of $900 per child, per season, to help kids develop their athletic talents — and possibly score college scholarships. The sizable but fragmented market has attracted an influx of capital, which in some ways has led to improvements.

The Clearwater, Fla.-based company helps municipalities form strategies for developing similar facilities around the country and typically operates the venue and oversees staffing, program management, event booking/management and sponsorship sales.

Over 100 community leaders, sports enthusiasts, and dignitaries celebrated the groundbreaking of Paducah Sports Park, a future state-of-the-art complex on the former Bluegrass Downs site and Stewart Nelson Park. This 130-acre park, operated by Sports Facilities Companies, promises to revolutionize the city’s sports landscape.

After five years and multiple setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Paducah and McCracken County leaders on Monday broke ground on the long-awaited Paducah Sports Park at the former Bluegrass Downs site.

The project’s estimated cost is $65 million, with funding largely coming from the transient room tax. Once complete, the park is projected to generate $155 million in direct impact in its first five years.

In case you’ve been living under a tennis racket (and in denial that pickleball is still a thing), the demand for pickleball courts is as high as it’s ever been.

But don’t take our word for it.

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), renowned for managing the largest network of sports and recreation facilities in the United States, has reported a surge in demand for pickleball courts in 2024.

The Sports Facilities Companies has been selected by the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, as the operating partner for its sports and entertainment venue, Key City Park — formerly known as Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi.

SFC will manage all aspects of daily operations. The park, which opened in 2019, includes 10 baseball fields and seven full-size soccer fields, featuring synthetic turf and lighting.

Late last month in southern Overland Park, construction workers spent the morning preparing to install 1,500 arena seats looking down on what will become an NHL-sized hockey rink.

Nearby, crews were laying down maple hardwood planks to build out eight basketball courts, which will also serve as 16 volleyball courts. Or they can be transformed with temporary turf for soccer, lacrosse or baseball.

The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) has been selected by the City of Vicksburg as the operating partner for its premier sports and entertainment venue, formerly known as Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi. It will now be known as Key City Park.

Late last month, ground broke on Crossroads Sports Complex, a $70 million complex in New Lenox, Ill.

The facility, to be designed by JLG Architects, Sports Facilities Companies, and Northern Builders, will be located at the crossroad of interstates 355 and 80, about 45 minutes southwest of Chicago.

Springfield’s Martin Engineering Company gives a summer update on the construction at SCHEELS Sports Park in Springfield, Illinois.

The John Wooden Family Fieldhouse in Xenia opened Saturday, June 15. The state-of-the-art facility is 65-thousand square feet, with four collegiate-sized basketball courts that can also be used for volleyball and pickleball. The fieldhouse also features a wrestling room, hot and cold recovery tubs and conference rooms for teams to meet.

“The grand opening is a full day of events for the community and for our special friends who made this happen,” said Steve Harrell, the general manager of the sports complex and retreat center of Athletes in Action.

The first professional soccer team in Naples officially has its branding.

USL League One Naples revealed the team’s name, FC Naples, as well as its colors and crest in a public event at the Paradise Coast Complex in South Naples on June 15. The franchise also revealed a timeline for the announcement of a head coach.