26 Top Indoor Sports Complexes Ready for Next Tournament

From Emerson, Georgia to Rockford, Illinois, new indoor venues continue to spring up all around us. Equipped with state-of-the-art features like video boards and on-site hotels, these locations can’t help but appeal to tournament planners across America. Though some benefit from the local attractions around them, others simply lure spectators based on the amenities found at their facilities.

Tournament-Ready Indoor Sports Complexes in the South

LakePoint Indoor Facility

Emerson, Georgia

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an eight-building facility that offers athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, exhibits, conventions and consumer shows. It is the largest indoor public assembly facility in the region and is one of the most actively booked venues in the country, hosting more than 1,100 events on an annual basis.

The centerpiece of this complex is the Greensboro Coliseum, an arena that can seat up to 22,000 but maintains a round-house curtaining system that can automatically reduce the arena seating capacity to as low as 4,500 for a general session. The arena has a distinguished history of hosting Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA basketball championships and features seven dressing rooms, backstage function space and a 298-seat theater for intimate gatherings or press conferences.

Boo Williams Sportsplex

Hampton, Virginia

Opened in 2008, the $13.5 million Boo Williams Sportsplex accommodates athletic events such as basketball, indoor field hockey and volleyball. This 135,000-square-foot complex features eight hardwood basketball courts and retractable bleacher seating for 4,000 attendees (6,000 with perimeter seating).

The sportsplex also includes 12 volleyball courts, a 200-meter, six-lane indoor track and two training rooms along with 64,000 and 31,000-square-foot playing pavilions. Williams, a native of Hampton, was a high school basketball star who started a high school AAU basketball program in 1982 before becoming the AAU Chairman of boys basketball.

Norfolk, VA Scope

Norfolk, Virginia

Featuring the world’s largest reinforced thin-shell concrete dome, Scope is a beautiful multi-function complex that consists of a 12,000-person arena, a 2,500-person theater and a 10,000-square-foot exhibition hall. Scope is home to the Norfolk Admirals hockey team, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball tournament, conventions, concerts and family shows.

The arena floor is 25,651-square-feet and seating for exhibition halls have a total of 76,000-square-feet plus five breakout rooms. The arena opened in 1971 at a cost of $35 million ($211 million in 2017 dollars) and has undergone $11 million of renovations since 2003, including the replacement of a center-hung scoreboard with a scoreboard featuring LED video and matrix boards.

Crown Complex

Fayetteville, North Carolina

This five-venue complex is comprised of a 4,500 seat arena, a 9,200-square-foot ballroom, a 10,880 seat coliseum, an exposition center with 60,000 square feet of space and a 2,440 seat theater. Located directly on business I-95, this $55 million venue offers two buildings designed to host sporting events.

The flagship venue of the Crown Complex, the Crown Coliseum, opened in 1997 and can host ice hockey, arena football, high school, college and professional basketball games and tournaments, boxing and rodeos. The multi-purpose Crown Arena can host a wide variety of athletic competitions including wrestling, basketball, cheerleading and soccer tournaments. The arena provides 11,552 square feet of unobstructed space and is host to a tenant roller derby team, the Rogue Rollergirls.

Rocky Top Sports World

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Rocky Top’s 86,000-square-foot indoor sports facility includes six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts and an indoor/outdoor grill area, not to mention the most exceptional spectator viewing set-ups of any venue in the country. Another advantage of planning an event at Rocky Top Sports World is easy access to downtown Gatlinburg via the Gatlinburg Trolley system.

The amenities provided at this venue make it perfect for hosting tournaments in sports like martial arts, wrestling and table tennis, to go along with the standard basketball and volleyball events. In 2016, the USSSA State and Regional Basketball Tournament is slated to take place at Rocky Top Sports World June 3-5, while the 2016 Summer Grappling Games are scheduled for early July.

Myrtle Beach Sports Center

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Spartanburg, South Carolina

Opened in 2014 and boasting 120,000 square feet of space for sports ranging from volleyball to golf to baseball, the Upward Star Center has staked its claim as one of South Carolina’s premier indoor sports complexes. The venue is most notably home to Upward Sports, the world’s largest Christian youth sports league. Through Upward, kids are provided with the skills necessary to grow as athletes and as people, with careful instruction in the form of one-day clinics, weeklong camps, specialized training academies and full-season leagues.

The organization, established in 1995, certainly has enough to work with in terms of facilities—there are six basketball courts and 12 regulation indoor volleyball courts in addition to batting cages, golf swing analysis, a running track and a gym with weights and cardio machines. The Upward Star Center, located near a Holiday Inn and a Hampton Inn, plans to host a variety of events in 2016, including the June 10-12 Southeast Hoop Fest for age levels 12U through 17U.

Easton-Newberry Sports Complex-Archery of Excellence

Gainesville, Florida

Located 15 miles west of Gainesville, the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex is made up of 100 acres of multi-sport use and archery-specific property. The 20,000-square foot indoor venue has been designated Community Olympic Development Program status for archery by the United States Olympic Committee and can be used for local, state, regional, national and international competitions.

The facility features fiber-optic cable, Internet and video support, meeting space, concession stands and seating for 500. It also includes a dedicated indoor archery range with 20 lanes shooting to 25 meters and an adjoining indoor gym for basketball and volleyball.

Foley Events Center 

Foley, Alabama

The Foley Events Center hosted its first competition in 2017 and is a 90,000-square-foot, multi-use indoor facility that is located alongside the Foley Sports Tourism Complex. It offers more than 50,000 square feet of open floor space, providing plenty of room for six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts and 12 pickleball courts.

It is designed to host cheerleading, dance and gymnastics competitions. The events center is also able to accommodate banquet space for 2,479 and receptions for 2,600 as well as exhibit and trade show space. A Marriott TownePlace Suites resides within walking distance of the center while the white sandy beaches of Alabama’s Gulf Coast are only seven miles away.

Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro, North Carolina

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an eight-building facility that offers athletic events, cultural arts, concerts, theater, exhibits, conventions and consumer shows. It is the largest indoor public assembly facility in the region and is one of the most actively booked venues in the country, hosting more than 1,100 events on an annual basis.

The centerpiece of this complex is the Greensboro Coliseum, an arena that can seat up to 22,000 but maintains a round-house curtaining system that can automatically reduce the arena seating capacity to as low as 4,500 for a general session. The arena has a distinguished history of hosting Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA basketball championships and features seven dressing rooms, backstage function space and a 298-seat theater for intimate gatherings or press conferences.

Tournament-Ready Indoor Sports Complexes in the Northeast

Spooky Nook

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Spooky Nook might have a funny name, but it’s serious about being one of the most advanced indoor sports complexes in America. Ten basketball courts, four field hockey courts, six soccer field, 10 volleyball courts, an indoor track and a full-sized baseball field make up 700,000 square feet of indoor sports heaven. But it’s not all sports—Spooky Nook maintains its state-of-the-art image with a fitness center, a climbing center, a food court and an arcade.

Looking to stay in Lancaster while at a tournament or event? The Nook has you covered with its 135-room Warehouse Hotel. And skip the fast food just off the highway—instead, the Forklift & Palate Restaurant, also located in the indoor complex, serves up classic, contemporary cuisine. Spooky Nook offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience that players, coaches and fans will not want to miss.

Tournament-Ready Indoor Sports Complexes in the West

Round Rock Sports Center

Round Rock, Texas

Nicknamed the “Sports Capital of Texas,” the city of Round Rock boasts some impressive athletic attractions. The Round Rock Sports Center, though, might be the town’s very best, with its six basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts and over 47,000 square feet of open space. Opened on January 28, 2014, the venue is also equipped with a training room, LED scoreboards and three multi-purpose rooms.

Such a massive (and expensive) facility doesn’t go idle—23 local sports organizations use the complex regularly, while the complex hosted the 2016 Collegiate Table Tennis Championship earlier this year. Round Rock Sports Center is located just off of Interstate 35 and near a variety of eateries, making it an attractive indoor option for event planners.

Angel of the Winds Arena

Everett, Washington

Recipient of the International Association of Venue Managers’ prestigious Venue Excellence Award, this 10,000-seat venue is home to the Everett Silvertips hockey club of the Western Hockey League. The arena features two sheets of NHL-sized ice and hosts a variety of events, including hockey, figure skating, basketball, gymnastics, martial arts, wrestling, volleyball, rodeo, EnduroCross racing and trade shows. The three-story Edward D. Hansen Conference Center is attached and provides three 900-square-foot executive meeting rooms and an 11,000-square-foot ballroom.

Bob Keefer Center for Sports & Recreation

Springfield, Oregon

This 97,000-square-foot center boasts four regulation-sized basketball courts, four indoor tennis courts, three roller derby rinks, 12 volleyball courts and a 33-foot-high rock climbing wall. The venue also sports a 12-foot high bouldering wall, a fitness center, meeting rooms for every gathering, an 18-foot-wide movie screen, preschools with an attached playground and even offers fitness classes.

Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center

Colorado Spring, Colorado

This venue is one of two official Olympic training complexes in the nation and is the flagship training center for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center programs. USA Swimming and USA Shooting base their national headquarters on the 35-acre complex that also offers sport venues and support facilities for fencing, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, weightlifting and wrestling.

Fairplex

Pomona, California

Formerly known as the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds prior to 1984, Fairplex has been the home of the L.A. County Fair since 1922. This multifaceted venue is used year-round to host a variety of events including trade and consumer shows, conventions and sporting events.

The Fairplex grounds cover 543 acres, with nearly 325,000 square feet of indoor space. With seven column-free exhibit halls that range from 30,800 to 105,000 square feet, Fairplex can host a range of indoor sports such as roller derby, boxing, karate, gymnastics, volleyball, basketball and cheerleading.

Ford Park Entertainment Complex

Beaumont, Texas

One of the premier sports, entertainment and convention destinations of Southeast Texas, Ford Entertainment Complex features five venues that stretch across 221 acres, including 34,000-square-foot Ford Arena, a venue ideal for concerts, conventions and sports events. Ford Arena contains 8,500 stadium-style seats, a 2,448-square-foot VIP club and a 1,107-square-foot party patio while the neighboring 48,000-square-foot Ford Exhibit Hall includes eight individual meeting rooms and can host consumer shows, conventions, concerts, gymnastics and martial arts competitions.

Game On Sports Complex

Fort Worth, Texas

This new multi-use facility features six hardwood basketball courts that convert into 12 volleyball courts. The complex is also home to an APEC world-class training facility as well as several health and wellness partners. Along with Game On Arena Sports, the complex is part of the largest multi-sport center in North Texas, encompassing 190,000 square feet of training and competition space. These venues combine state-of-the-art facilities and offer a home for volleyball, basketball, baseball, football, softball and indoor soccer.

Leavey Center

Santa Clara, California

This complex is home to the Santa Clara University basketball teams and the school’s women’s volleyball programs. The 101,300-square-foot facility contains 4,700 seats and includes bleachers and a suspended scoreboard.

In 2016, the center had a one-of-a-kind floor installed, as the court now features a large stain painting of a photograph of Santa Clara University’s iconic Mission Church. A previous $26 million renovation from April 2000 to June 2002 saw the center gain a new roof surrounded by spectacular 23-foot glass walls, new bleachers and a new scoreboard.

Mare Island Sports Complex

Vallejo, California

This versatile 61,000-square-foot complex is built to host numerous sporting events. Mare Island contains two indoor soccer fields, four batting cages, three basketball courts, up to five volleyball courts, a sports café, game room and workout room. The complex has hosted everything from basketball and soccer leagues to dog shows and roller derbies. Mare Island also hosts classes for basketball and crossfit.

Reed Arena

Bryan College Station, Texas

Reed Arena first opened its doors in 1998 and this 12,989-seat events center located on the west side of the Texas A&M campus is home to the Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Reed Arena contains 25,000 square feet of column-free arena space, which is large enough to accommodate 150 exhibit booths or a 1,800-seat banquet. It also sports two 8,700 square foot practice gymnasiums.

Reno Events Center

Reno, Nevada

A 7,000-seat multipurpose arena located in downtown Reno, the Reno Events Center was constructed in 2005. Every square foot of Reno’s most versatile venue is built for entertainment, from world tour concert kickoffs to boxing matches.

Its flexible 7,000-seat capacity and its location in the liveliest part of downtown make it a perfect locale to host events. The center is also home to the NBA G-League’s Reno Bighorns, and has been the host venue for multiple G-League Showcases, the NBA D-League Showcase and the Big Sky men’s and women’s basketball tournament.

Strahan Coliseum

San Marcos, Texas

The 7,200-seat Strahan Coliseum is an $8.8-million facility that can accommodate volleyball, basketball, weightlifting, cheer and dance competitions. The coliseum is home to Texas State University’s men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. The coliseum is undergoing a $54 million expansion, with plans to add 2,300 seats by building out the eastern side of the arena. An additional 81,000 square feet will turn the facility into the multi-use Texas State University Event Center by 2019.

Tournament-Ready Indoor Sports Complexes in the Midwest

UW Health Sports Factory

Rockford, Illinois

Though the UW Health Sports Factory is yet to open, construction is 80% complete and the complex should be ready for use in early June. Tournament planners, players, coaches and spectators are ready for the grand opening of the 108,000-square-foot venue, expected to be the centerpiece of Rockford sports and used for a variety of events.

It will feature 16 volleyball courts, 8 basketball courts, 16 wrestling mats and 42 pickleball courts, not to mention seating for up to 3,700, portable bleachers, five meeting rooms, an event plaza and a restaurant/bar. Located on the Rock River just off of Interstate 90, the UW Health Sports Factory is easy to reach and should be popular with local residents and out-of-towners alike.

Woodside Dome

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

Situated in the Waterpark Capital of the World, the Woodside Dome is one of the top indoor sports complexes in the country and is the largest facility of its kind in the Midwest.

It houses 16 volleyball courts, 10 basketball courts and up to 32 wrestling mats, and can accommodate sports like football, softball, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, fencing, marathons, gymnastics, dance and cheer, lacrosse, field hockey, martial arts, indoor golf, soccer, baseball and ultimate fighting. Located along Highway 13 and near Chula Vista resort, the Woodside Dome hosts dozens of events each year.

Grand Park Events Center

Westfield, Indiana

Though Grand Park’s indoor facilities currently only include Jonathan Byrd’s Fieldhouse, an 88,000-square-foot building with eight basketball courts, eight volleyball courts and futsal league areas, big changes are coming. The Grand Park Events Center intends to open in July 2016, and when it does, the 370,000-square-foot facility will quickly rise to the top of the ranks of indoor sports sites.

The venue will contain three full-sized professional soccer fields and room for office space, locker rooms, meeting rooms and a restaurant. Beyond its size, the Events Center will house the Grand Park Hotel, making it convenient to host special events and large sports tournaments. Just another feature in the onslaught of sports complexes in Westfield, Indiana, the Grand Park Events Center will have no trouble luring patrons through its doors.

 

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