Attracting teams for tournaments and the keys to keep them coming back
By Mike McLaughlin
So, you have built a premier sports complex. How do you make it pay? By keeping it busy every day.
“When you build a leading-edge, multi-use facility, sustainability is the number-one concern,” says Darren Tolin, Shawnee County Parks + Recreation (SCP+R) sports supervisor in Kansas. “It’s a double-edged sword. You need to fill the complex daily to generate revenue, but higher use leads to higher maintenance costs.”
The Bettis Family Sports Complex is one of the premier multi-use sports facilities in the Midwest. The 22-acre complex on the outskirts of Topeka is nestled along the shore of Lake Shawnee. Six lighted baseball fields and a multi-use, full-size lighted soccer field have artificial turf, while baseball/softball outfields are grass except for turf warning tracks on the largest field. The complex has a concession stand, restrooms, locker rooms, a plaza area with picnic tables, offices, a conference room, an umpires’ locker room, and the Lake Shawnee Event Center, which is rentable year-round and overlooks Lake Shawnee.