State agency names sports tourism grant recipients
The Delaware Tourism Office announced awards to five Delaware sports facilities Dec. 20, made through the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund. Established through the Fiscal Year 2024 Bond and Capital Improvements Act, the fund provides financial support to new or existing sports facilities that hold events throughout the year to attract out-of-state visitors, and contribute to the state and local economies.
The Delaware Tourism Office accepted applications for the fund from Aug. 1 through Sept. 13. The office received 17 applications requesting more than $47 million. Available funds totaled $10 million.
Applications were reviewed by a panel including the co-chairs of the Joint Capital Improvement Committee, Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Pike Creek, and Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, along with representatives of the Delaware Tourism Office, Southern Delaware Tourism, Kent County Tourism, and the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau. The panel members finalized their funding decisions at a Dec. 12 meeting in Dover.
“Once again, this was a very competitive application process. The panel worked diligently to consider the merits of each facility that applied,” said Walsh. “The facilities receiving funding play an integral role in encouraging out-of-state visitation and positively impacting our economy. We will continue to encourage visitation through the fund, ensuring that sporting event operators think of Delaware when looking for states to host their tournaments and other competitions in.”
“The fund supports our facilities, encouraging them to expand and attract top sporting events throughout the year as the sports tourism industry grows in our state,” said Heffernan. “By providing financial support to these facilities, we can make certain that large sports events will continue to attract visitors who will spend money at local businesses, boost our economy and promote Delaware as an ideal destination.”
The facilities receiving funding through the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund are:
Factory Sports ($577,000), to construct two additional basketball courts, two volleyball courts, and six pickleball courts in order to host larger and more frequent tournaments at its facility in Frankford.
Hudson Fields ($1,123,000), to take initial steps to modernize the facility in Milton by upgrading nine outdoor playing fields, installing two turf soccer fields, and improving seven existing grass fields to tournament standards.
Bethany Tennis Club ($3,800,000), to build a new structure with multiple interior courts and social gathering spaces to attract year-round events for tennis, pickleball and paddle sports at its Ocean View facility.
Dover Motor Speedway ($500,000), to implement improvements to the facility with new paving, elevator upgrades, infield media center refurbishments and an improved audio system, allowing it to continue hosting large-scale events.
Kirkwood Sports Complex ($4,000,000), to make enhancements to the New Castle facility by upgrading parking infrastructure and expanding parking with 300 additional spots, installing artificial turf on five sports fields and lighting five turf fields.
The Delaware Tourism Office released a sports tourism economic impact study Nov. 15, completed by Tourism Economics. The study showed that the sports tourism sector’s direct spending impact in Delaware was $257.9 million in 2023. Those sales supported more than 3,000 part-time and full-time jobs, and generated $20.2 million in state and local taxes.
“The recent economic impact study confirmed that sports tourism is a significant economic driver in our state, attracting millions of visitors to Delaware each year and generating millions of dollars in revenue,” said Jessica Welch, director of the Delaware Tourism Office. “We are pleased to be able to support nine different facilities, through the first and second rounds of the capital investment fund, in their expansion efforts, and ensure that Delaware offers top-notch sports facilities to event operators and visitors.”
The Delaware Tourism Office, a division of the Delaware Division of Small Business, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware. Learn more at visitdelaware.com.
