Sports Force Parks

What Sports Force Parks does

Sports Force Parks is a vertically integrated developer, owner, and operator of youth sports tournament destinations in the United States, operating as a brand under Sports Fields Inc. (Canton, Georgia). Founded in 2017 and now employing 251-500 people, the company plans, designs, constructs, operates, and maintains multi-sport synthetic turf complexes for traveling baseball, softball, soccer, football, and lacrosse teams. Current flagship locations are the Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio (co-located with the Cedar Point amusement park and partner Cedar Fair); the 75-acre Vicksburg, Mississippi complex (opened February 2019); and the $100 million Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples, Florida (Phase 1 opened 2020; Phase 2 with 3,500-seat stadium in 2021), developed under a Public-Private Partnership with Collier County. The company also operates the acquired 17 Tournaments brand (including 17 Baseball and 17 Softball) and runs inclusive programming for athletes with disabilities under the Force All-Stars label.

Its core operational technology is an in-house vertically integrated capability stack spanning feasibility studies, master planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance, which the company states is unique within the youth sports complex industry and provides single-source accountability to public partners. Facilities pair multi-sport synthetic turf field layouts — engineered to maximize utilization per square foot — with a standardized set of family entertainment amenities (miniature golf, zip lines, rope courses, walking trails, playgrounds) and accessibility features (ADA-accessible stadiums, themed playgrounds, sensory support kits for autistic children). On the digital side, the technical footprint is limited: registration and payments run through an Authorize.Net integration with SSL encryption, and the website functions primarily as a content and registration surface rather than a platform.

The business model is anchored on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structure: municipalities fund capital construction (typical facility cost $30-$35 million; Paradise Coast reached $100 million) while Sports Force Parks assumes operating risk in exchange for revenue from tournament registrations, concessions, facility rentals for private events, and national sponsorship deals. Tournament pricing follows a deposit-led model with $350 for weekend events and $500 for weeklong events, structured payment plans, and tiered credit-based refund policies for weather cancellations. Because the company acts as event rights holder for many of its own branded tournaments, the majority of registration and ancillary revenue stays at the park. Customer segments include traveling youth sports teams (the primary segment), family spectators who drive lodging and restaurant spend in host communities, and government/public entities seeking sports-tourism-led economic development. Reported outcomes at Vicksburg — 785 teams in a partial first year, 135,000 visitors, 5,700 hotel nights, and a 17% lift in local hospitality collections — are used as the central sales pitch to new municipal PPP prospects.

Name

Sports Force Parks

Legal name

Sports Fields Inc.

Website

https://sportsforceparks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sports Force Parks is a vertically integrated developer and operator of youth sports tournament complexes in the United States, delivering feasibility, design, construction, and operations services through Public-Private Partnerships with municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Complex Operations

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sport Complexes & Community Sports Parks (MPAKAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports Community Relations & Grassroots Program Management (MPAKAKAJ), Youth & Amateur Sports Tournaments (MPAGAMAF)

Keywords

• Youth sports facilities
• Sports complex development
• Public-private partnerships
• Tournament operations
• Multi-sport complexes

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandusky

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tournament and Event Operations: Revenue generated from operating owned and partnered youth sports tournaments and events. As event rights holder/operator, a majority of event revenues stay at the park.
2. Public-Private Partnership Management Fees: Long-term management agreements with public entities for operating sports complexes. The model incentivizes operational profitability rather than guaranteed management fees.
3. Facility Rentals and Concessions: Revenue from on-site concessions, facility rentals for private events, concerts, corporate events, car shows and festivals.
4. Sponsorship and Partnership Revenue: National and regional partnership opportunities allowing brands to engage with visitors during sports and family vacation experiences throughout the year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sports Force Parks plans, designs, constructs, operates, and maintains multi-sport youth sports complexes through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The company provides professional-grade synthetic turf facilities for baseball, softball, soccer, football, and lacrosse tournaments, paired with family-focused amenities such as miniature golf, zip lines, and playgrounds, and self-operates branded tournament programs.

Product overview

Sports Force Parks is a multi-location sports tourism company operating youth sports complexes across the United States. The company operates a platform-plus-services model, with three primary park locations (Sandusky OH, Vicksburg MS, and Naples FL) under the Sports Force Parks brand, supplemented by a branded tournament program called 17 Tournaments (including 17 Baseball and 17 Softball), and inclusive programming through Force All-Stars. All services are delivered through a vertically integrated model covering feasibility, planning, design, construction, and operations managed entirely in-house. The company also offers partnership opportunities for brands to reach youth sports tourists. Sports Force Parks is one of four companies under the Sports Fields Inc. (SFI) umbrella, which together provide end-to-end sports facility development and management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 17 Tournaments: Youth sports tournament brand operating 17 Baseball and 17 Softball events
• 17 Baseball
• 17 Softball

Products and services

• Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center Multi-sport youth sports complex in Sandusky, Ohio featuring professional-quality synthetic turf fields for baseball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse along with family amenities including miniature golf, zip lines, rope courses, and ADA-accessible stadium (VacationLand Federal Credit Union Stadium). Operated for traveling tournament teams and family spectators.
• Sports Force Parks on the Mississippi 75-acre multi-sport youth sports complex in Vicksburg, Mississippi featuring 100% synthetic turf fields including three 90-foot baseball diamonds, 12 youth baseball diamonds, 12 softball diamonds, seven lacrosse fields, seven soccer fields, an ADA-accessible stadium, plus family amenities including a nine-hole miniature golf course and zip line. Opened February 2019.
• Paradise Coast Sports Complex Multi-sport youth sports complex in Collier County (East Naples), Florida featuring 20 synthetic turf fields for soccer, baseball, and softball, plus a 3,500-seat championship stadium. Includes The Cove entertainment area with food trucks and live music, The Factory outdoor fitness facility, public Fitness Court, and climbing wall. A $100 million public-private partnership investment.
• 17 Tournaments Branded youth sports tournament program operated by Sports Force Parks, including 17 Baseball and 17 Softball tournament series. As event rights holder/operator, a majority of event revenues stay at the park.
• Force All-Stars Inclusive Programming Adaptive sports programming for children with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities. Includes ADA-accessible stadium field, themed ADA-accessible playground, adaptive t-ball and kickball league, sports day camps, and Sensory Sacks program (noise-cancelling ear muffs, stress relief balls, ID wristbands) for individuals with autism.
• Public-Private Partnership Development Services End-to-end youth sports complex development services delivered in-house, including feasibility studies, master planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance. The PPP model eliminates public risk through fixed commitments rather than open-ended subsidies, with incentives tied to operational profitability.
• National and Regional Sponsorship Partnerships National and regional brand partnership opportunities that allow brands to engage with visitors during sports and family vacation experiences throughout the year. Partners gain visibility throughout trip planning, on-site engagement, and experiences that drive repeat visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• $12.4M economic impact in first year at Vicksburg with 135,000 visitors and 785 teams
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Cal Ripken Sr. FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 202120-year partnership providing spaces for at-risk youth across the country. Former CEO Brian Storm was actively involved with the foundation prior to his passing. Foundation focuses on building 100 fields in 2021.
• Football University (FBU)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2019FBU partnership to bring 6 events to Paradise Coast Sports Complex by end of 2021, including FBU National Championships and Top Gun showcase. Expected to generate 10,000+ hotel room nights annually and establish Collier County as premier youth football destination.
• Cedar FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCedar Fair is an amusement park operator (parent of Cedar Point) and strategic partner for the Sandusky, Ohio location. The partnership leverages proximity to Cedar Point amusement park for combined family vacation experiences.
• Cedar PointcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCedar Point amusement park is co-located with Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, enabling cross-promotion and combined family entertainment packages.
• The Sports ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated entity under Sports Fields Inc. umbrella providing integrated sports field services across the company network.
• Under ArmourminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnder Armour provides Force All-Stars uniforms (t-shirts and hats) for inclusive programming participants with special needs.
• VacationLand Federal Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of ADA-accessible VacationLand Federal Credit Union Stadium at Cedar Point Sports Center, named after the credit union.
• Ripken BaseballflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cal Ripken's baseball facilities and brand. Sports Fields Inc operates three Ripken Experience facilities in Maryland, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Joint development and operational expertise sharing.
• Kevin HarvickminorOthersNASCAR professional driver and partner athlete representing Sports Force Parks brand in motorsports context.
• Jeff BurtonminorOthersFormer NASCAR driver and partner athlete representing Sports Force Parks brand.
• James HahnminorOthersProfessional golfer and partner athlete representing Sports Force Parks brand.
• Harrison BurtonminorOthersNASCAR driver and partner athlete representing Sports Force Parks brand.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Sports Center: The National Sports Center in Blaine, MN is one of the largest multi-sport youth sports complexes in the US, hosting soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and other tournaments. Direct comparable to Sports Force Parks as a destination youth sports venue operator with similar tournament-driven model and field-based programming.
• Ripken Baseball (Ripken Experience): Ripken Baseball operates three Ripken Experience facilities (Maryland, South Carolina, Tennessee) under the same Sports Fields Inc. parent company as Sports Force Parks. Direct sister-brand peer operating destination youth baseball/softball tournaments with similar PPP-style facilities and inclusive programming.
• Grand Park Sports Campus: Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, IN is a 400-acre multi-sport complex operated through a public-private partnership with the city of Westfield and Hamilton County. Highly comparable as a multi-sport youth tournament destination built on PPP economics.
• USA Sports Complex: USA Sports Complex in Cypress, TX is a multi-field destination youth sports facility hosting baseball, softball, soccer, and lacrosse tournaments. Comparable as a regional multi-sport tournament operator with family-amenity positioning.
• Premier Sports Campus (Lakewood Ranch): Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch, FL is a multi-sport destination complex hosting soccer, lacrosse, and field sports tournaments. Comparable as a regional destination youth sports venue with similar multi-field design and tournament operations.

Broad incumbents

• ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex: ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World is a 220-acre multi-sport complex operated by Disney, hosting professional, amateur, and youth tournaments across dozens of sports. Broad incumbent peer with vastly greater capital, brand, and tourism integration than SFP.
• IMG Academy: IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL operates a 600-acre multi-sport training and competition destination for youth athletes. Overlaps with SFP in destination youth sports positioning but is far broader in scope, including boarding school, professional training, and academy-style programming.

Emerging players

• i9 Sports: i9 Sports is a national youth sports league franchise operator offering flag football, basketball, soccer, and baseball programs in local communities. Comparable as a youth sports programming operator but at smaller scale and without destination/complex operations.
• Sports Facilities Companies (SFC): Sports Facilities Companies provides feasibility, planning, management, and operations services for sports venues nationwide. Comparable as a competitor in the PPP sports complex development and management space with similar business model of monetizing public sports facility operations.

Others

• Legends Hospitality: Legends Hospitality provides venue planning, concessions, sponsorship, and hospitality services for sports and entertainment venues. Comparable as an adjacent player in venue-based monetization (sponsorships, concessions, premium experiences) but does not directly operate youth sports complexes.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sfpsandusky
• Facebookfacebook.com/sfpsandusky
• Instagraminstagram.com/sfpsandusky
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sportsforceparks

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sports Force Parks