News

Rocky Top Sports World has set a new economic impact record for the second year in a row. In the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the complex contributed $46.9 million in economic impact, but in the 2021-2022 fiscal year they contributed $55.6 million in economic impact! The facility hosted more than 75 tournaments and camps during the year including the Kohl’s Kicking National Elite Camp and National Scholarship Camp. Kohl’s Kicking Camps brought in athletes from 3 divisions including professional, collegiate, and high school. In just their 8th year of business, Rocky Top Sports World has grown to become one of the nations most attractive venues for travel sports bringing people from nearly all 50 states and several countries down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

William Mayhall, Jr. has been hired by the city of Gardendale to be the General Manager of the newly revamped Bill Noble Park. The $32 million park project will feature nine baseball fields, eight tennis courts, 11 pickle ball courts, synthetic turf fields for football, lacrosse, and soccer, a state of the art playground, and an indoor community center. Before becoming the General Manager of Bill Noble Park, Will was working in the events department of the Hoover Met Complex located in Hoover, Alabama. Will has over 15 years of experience in the youth and professional sports industries and he is excited to continue his career as the General Manager of Bill Noble Park.

Golden Gate High School has partnered with Paradise Coast Sports Complex to offer the G.A.T.E. (Greater Achievement Through Empowerment) program to their students with disabilities. The program allows the students to participate in a work-study experience that helps to prepare them for future career opportunities. Students will be able to practice their work-related skills in a part time position at the sports complex for part of their school day. This part time program prepares students for their future full-day work programs.

Located just north of Birmingham, AL, the City of Gardendale broke ground on the $32 million redevelopment of Bill Noble Park. The sports complex will become a year-round destination for sports tourism and the local community to enjoy equally. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 2, 2022, on the site of Bill Noble Park. Construction already started this spring on the sports complex which will feature nine baseball/softball fields, eight tennis courts, eleven pickleball courts and so much more. The venue is slated to be completed by spring 2023.

E-Town Sports Park was one of the first sports facilities built specifically for sports tourism. Now, 10 years later, the impact of the decision by city leaders to invest in sports tourism continues to be felt. E-Town Sports Park was at the forefront of sports tourism when it opened and still serves as a model for other destinations.

Visit Panama City Beach in a partnership with Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) has chosen Mike Higgins to lead Publix Sports Park as its general manager.

A group led by Ballparks of America investor Paul Satterwhite has acquired Sho-Me Baseball Camp, a historic venue in Branson, Missouri, that traces its beginnings to 1958. The camp will be rebranded and operated by Ballparks of America under the management of Sports Facilities Management.

USA Pickleball will hold the second annual National Indoor Championships from June 7–11 at the Finley Center, part of the Hoover Met Complex in Hoover, Alabama, outside of Birmingham.

Citynet, the leading provider of advanced network communications and technology solutions in West Virginia, will become The Bridge Sports Complex’s titular sponsor with a ten-year contract.

Crown Sports Center welcomes soccer teams and fans from across the country to one of the largest U.S. indoor amateur soccer tournaments.

Cyclone Ballparks in West Texas has signed a partnership agreement with Denver-based PDC Energy that will see the business take over naming rights of the venue’s championship field.

The University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) has selected a leader for their multi-purpose outdoor sports complex. Following the hiring of youth and amateur sports industry-leading firm Sports Facilities Management (SFM) in 2021, the organizations launched a national talent search to find the right fit for the newly named Basin Sports Complex. The search found Texas Native Andy Cedillo, who will now lead the University’s community sports property in Odessa, TX.

The new premium recreational sports and events center in the Lakeway region, Morristown Landing, spearheaded by the City of Morristown and Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), has hired SFC employee Steve Eaton as the General Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of the multi-purpose complex.

It’s anticipated that Cornerstone Park will welcome 200,000 to 250,000 visitors annually and have a $17 million direct economic impact in its first year of operation.

In its seventh year of operation, Rocky Top Sports World welcomed more than 135,700 athletes, spectators, families, and friends to Gatlinburg.