Foundations of youth sport complex development: commonly identified critical components for successful economic development

Abstract

Indianapolis created a whole new city identity using sports development and sports tourism as the primary drivers of change in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Since then, other cities have adopted the philosophy of using sport as a catalyst to improve the economic conditions of the city. This same philosophy has seemingly trickled down to small cities across the United States in the form of youth travel sport complex development. The size of the youth travel sport segment has reportedly reached $7 billion by the National Association of Sports Commissions, resulting in the rapid development of youth sports complexes in small cities and towns. The size and scope of these facilities entering the segment range from 50 acres to as many as 400 contiguous acres costing millions of dollars. Additionally, the perceived economic impact accompanying the development of such facilities are often overinflated due to the diversity of methods used in market analyses, feasibility studies, economic impact analyses, cost-benefit analyses, and Turco’s triple-bottom-line analysis. A more systematic process is needed to assign key performance indicators and identify the critical components that will assist in the decision to enter the segment and at what capacity. This study is designed to identify the necessary critical components to reach the desired economic impacts associated with youth sport complex development. Qualitative constant comparative method of data analysis was utilized in identifying commonly identified critical components (CICC) believed to contribute to the success and sustainability of a youth sports complex.