Home Field Advantage: How Investing in Sports Facilities Builds More Than Champions

Rumbling bleachers, collective adrenaline and buzzer-beating wins — there's nothing quite like the game day rush for athletes and the fans cheering them on. 

From Super Bowl showdowns to March Madness rivalries, major sporting events capture our attention in powerful ways. They turn fans into friends, create outlets for healthy competition and foster a shared identity that transcends age, location and background. 

But beyond excitement and belonging, sports tourism — particularly youth and amateur sports — represents one of the most reliable and resilient sectors of the visitor economy. Unlike leisure travel, families are far less likely to cancel a trip when their child is competing in another destination, making the industry uniquely stable.  

Sports Tourism as a Major Economic Driver 

Picture this: Durham hosts a championship tournament for a high school athletic association. Athletes, coaches, staff and their families fill hotels across the county for an entire weekend or longer. On game day, the stands are packed with family members, alumni eager to claim bragging rights and locals looking for something to do.  

They spend money on hotel stays, meals and shopping throughout the community. First-time visitors may plan a return trip, while others extend their stay — increasing the economic contributions they make in Durham. That consistency makes sports tourism a powerful and dependable economic engine for host communities. 

These events deliver real economic benefits to the communities that host them. Last year, the Durham Bulls and the Durham Sports Commission partnered to host more than 60,000 fans at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for the ACC Baseball Championship, generating over $8 million that stayed within our community, as tax dollars, revenue and wages, directly benefitting those that live and work here.  

And that impact extends far beyond a single championship game

A Dilemma for Sports in Durham 

Tobacco Road, ACC Baseball, CIAA Football — Durham’s championship legacy has earned national recognition. 

The Triangle region is home to major universities with NCAA DI athletic programs that draw visitors from all over the country. Visitation data from Discover Durham shows that when Triangle area schools host big football games, hotel occupancy in Durham spikes.  

More recent developments, including Durham hosting the upcoming Garmin Marathon and becoming home to the only professional softball team on the East Coast, signal real momentum toward becoming a premier sports destination. 

As interest in Durham continues to grow, so does the opportunity to generate additional economic and social benefits for the community. However, a lack of championship-ready facilities limits how much of that interest we can fully capture. 

Data shows Durham is falling behind in the amenities needed to compete for today’s large-scale sporting events. That gap doesn’t just mean lost economic opportunity — it means fewer resources for residents, particularly young people seeking places to play, train and thrive. 

Looking Ahead: Investing Where Community and Opportunity Meet 

As Durham looks toward the future, investing in sports facilities is about far more than fields, courts or buildings — it's about momentum. Strategic investment ensures Durham isn't just participating in the sports economy but leading from within it. 

Well-planned, accessible facilities amplify the economic engine of sports tourism while strengthening the social fabric of the community. They attract visitors who fill hotels and restaurants, create jobs that can't be outsourced and generate recurring economic activity that benefits local businesses year after year. At the same time, they give residents places to gather, compete and belong. 

Key reasons to invest in a multipurpose, tournament-ready facility in Durham:  

• Tournament-ready facilities host sporting events that draw visitors who contribute millions of dollars to Durham's economy, supporting local businesses, jobs and government budgets. 

• When developed intentionally and equitably, these facilities can also serve as a community asset for Durham residents, too. 

• The presence of these facilities in the community supports expanded access to recreational opportunities for people of all ages, improving health outcomes, quality of life and social equity for generations to come. 

• These facilities can help to reduce the financial burden on Durham's athletes and their families by providing them the space to compete locally versus having to spend their dollars in another host community.  

The current gaps in facility availability represent more than unmet demand — they reflect missed opportunities. Every tournament Durham can't host, every league forced to look elsewhere and every young athlete without access to quality space is a sign that our infrastructure hasn't yet caught up with our potential.  

That's why, in our effort to make Durham one of the most vibrant destinations in the country, we're exploring projects that create and modernize community assets like  Durham County Memorial Stadium, the Historic Durham Athletic Park and a new multipurpose sports facility.  

As Durham continues to grow, the question isn't whether we can afford to invest in these facilities — it's whether we can afford not to. The choices made today will shape our community's economic resilience, social vitality and quality of life for years to come.