Multipurpose Sports Facility

Project Background

The Durham Sports Commission (DSC), in partnership with Durham Next, is pursuing the creation of a multipurpose, indoor-outdoor sports facility.

Research shows that Durham is falling behind in offering amenities like this, which in turn, translates to missed economic opportunities that come with hosting large scale sporting events and a lack of resources for members of the community, especially local youth seeking athletic involvement.

A completed feasibility study concluded that Durham would benefit from 250k square footage of indoor space plus multiple outdoor fields, supporting over 20 different sports in total. The combined indoor and outdoor multipurpose spaces will require 65-100 acres to be able to host up to 5,000 spectators and fans, as well as a multitude of other non-sporting events.

Upon completion, this facility is projected to increase sports tourism to Durham, generating an additional $35 million in annual economic impact in the local community.

Based on the model championed by the Durham Sports Commission and Durham Next, this facility will serve as a community asset for Durham. Not only will this facility attract more visitors ready to spend their dollars in Durham, but it will also increase access to competition and sports programming to improve the quality of life, health and social equity for Durham residents of all ages.

Project History

2018

In 2018, a Durham athletics facility audit conducted by the Huddle Up Group commissioned by the DSC identified that the community has very few facilities capable of supporting sports tourism (e.g., youth sports tournaments for traveling teams). At present, cities like Rocky Mount, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Concord are outpacing Durham’s indoor and outdoor sporting facilities. Sports tourism is a $91.8B US industry with strong growth rates. While Duke University and North Carolina Central University have excellent facilities, they have little capacity to host non-collegiate events.

2021

Sports Facilities Advisors (SFA), industry leading experts, was hired by the DSC in 2021 to complete a feasibility study, and again in 2023 to update it after industry-wide inflationary increases in construction costs. The research showed many other communities across the country outpacing Durham in building tournament-ready facilities, positioned as economic drivers and community assets (see recommended resources).

2023

The findings and proposed recommendations from these feasibilities’ studies were presented to both City Council and the Board of County Commissioners in June 2023 with each body providing positive feedback on the project’s direction. These findings were later reaffirmed by an asset assessment included in the Destination Master Plan (DMP) commissioned by Discover Durham, the county’s tourism development authority that has since launched Durham Next as a new 501(c)3 charged with bringing large-scale projects that will benefit residents’ quality of life and inspire more visitor spending, like a multi-sport facility.

June 2023 City Council Presentation

June 2023 County Commissioners Presentation

Next Steps

The project team is still exploring possible locations for the facility’s development. The facility recommendations are subject to change based on land availability and other adjacent community developments.