State agency names sports tourism grant recipients

The Delaware Tourism Office announced awards to four Delaware sports facilities July 30, 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 March 1 through April 12. The office received 18 applications requesting more than $54 million. Available funds totaled $11.3 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, the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kent County Tourism and Southern Delaware Tourism. The panel met May 6 to begin reviewing the applications and finalized their funding decision during a June 10 meeting in Dover.

“This was a very competitive application process, and the panel worked diligently to consider the merits of each facility that applied,” said Walsh. “The applicants receiving funding play an important role in encouraging out-of-state visitors to attend sports events in Delaware, growing the economy and introducing our gem of a state to new audiences.”

“We created this fund to ensure our facilities can continue to attract top sporting events throughout the year as the sports tourism industry grows,” said Heffernan. “By providing financial support to these facilities, we can make certain that sporting event operators keep Delaware top of mind when looking for locations for their tournaments and other competitions.”

“Sports tourism is a significant economic driver in our state, attracting thousands of visitors to Delaware each year and generating millions of dollars in revenue,” said Jessica Welch, Delaware Tourism Office director. “We are pleased to be able to support these facilities in their expansion efforts. This funding will go a long way in ensuring that our state can offer top-notch facilities to teams and event operators for years to come.”

The facilities receiving funding through the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund are:

Indoor Track Delaware ($6 million), to construct a new indoor track facility adjacent to the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington that will serve as a multi-sport complex, and host a variety of events and competitions.

DE Turf ($3 million), to make improvements to the complex in Frederica that will facilitate hosting larger regional and national tournaments. This will include tripling current stadium seating from 1,000 to 3,000 seats, constructing a new tournament facility, expanding amenities and more.

Midway Motion & Fitness ($2 million), to construct a pickleball complex in Rehoboth Beach with 12 indoor courts and four outdoor courts, meeting the requirements for tournament sanctioning by the American Pickleball Association.

STATS Tournaments ($300,000), to install stadium lights at two of its fields and build one additional baseball and softball field at the facility in Bear to accommodate increasing team and tournament demands.

“DE Turf is thrilled to receive this funding to support expanding our facility,” said Bill Strickland, DE Turf board of directors chair. “Since the complex was built in 2017, it has become a first-class destination that attracts sports tourism events to Kent County on a year-round basis. This funding will allow our organization to increase the number of events held at the facility, provide an opportunity to host a larger variety of events and increase the overall economic impact DE Turf has on the state.”

The Delaware Tourism Office, a division of the Delaware Division of Small Business, promotes tourism and economic growth in Delaware. For more information, go to visitdelaware.com or call toll-free, 866-284-7483.