Mishawaka is aiming to become the new home for youth sports as work began this month on a $38 million complex that will be able to host all variety of athletic tournaments year round.
The project, dubbed the Mishawaka Fieldhouse, will bring nearly a million visitors and over $30 million in economic benefits annually, officials say. Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood said the massive sports facility will spark other growth near Veterans Parkway and Capital Avenue.
“The tourism that will be brought in from around the world, quite frankly, is going to be significant. We’re going to bring a million and a half visitors to this facility a year so your restaurants, your retailers, your hotels are going to benefit as well,” said Andy Card, the CEO of Card & Associates.
Card & Associates manage a number of similar athletic complexes throughout Indiana, mostly around Indianapolis, and the company will build and operate the Mishawaka Fieldhouse once it’s completed.
The first phase of the construction will bring in 12 basketball and volleyball courts, 14 pickleball courts and two football fields in addition to space for other training areas.
An additional four baseball fields and ice rinks could be built in future stages of the project. Phase one is expected to be completed in mid to late 2024.
The fieldhouse project has been in the works for over six years, beginning with feasibility studies to see what the demand was for more athletic areas.
Visit South Bend/Mishawaka’s executive director Jeff Jarnecke said the group’s data continually showed that youth sports are a huge driver of tourism, but St. Joseph County had few options for winter sports leagues.
“Already today, sports accounts for about … $24 million of economic impact each and every year. And the idea that we can have a year-round facility that solves a problem that we’ve had … is just terrific,” Jarnecke said.
The expectation is that the new facility will bring in more than two dozen tournaments a year from youth leagues from all over the country.
To finance the project, the city is taking out a series of bonds that will be repaid annually through a combination of tax revenues captured from the revenue generated by the facility and $1 million coming from the county’s hotel-motel fees.
In addition, the state gave $5 million to the project in the form of a READI grant and much of the land where the complex will be built between Douglas and Cleveland roads was donated to the city.
Mishawaka Mayor Dave Wood said the city always wanted to partner with a private company to develop and manage the fieldhouse. And with the new development, he predicts the surrounding area will soon see other businesses follow suit.
“It won’t be long before you start seeing development all around here in what I envision to be kind of a sports and entertainment type campus,” Wood said. “We’re building the infrastructure. We’re ready to go. This will prompt future development in a big way.”
