A group of developers is betting big on youth sports tourism, announcing plans for a $3 billion entertainment and athletic complex near Detroit Metropolitan Airport that its backers say could reshape the region’s economy.
Motown Sports Group Holdings, Inc. is behind the project, called Motown Sports Village, which would rise in Romulus on a site chosen for its access to one of the Midwest’s busiest travel corridors.
The scale of the ambition matches the industry opportunity, according to TaMyra Boyd, a principal with the group.
“The youth sports tourism market is booming with $47.1 billion in direct spending in 2024. Families alone spent $40 billion on youth sports,” Boyd said.
Plans for the 1.15-million-square-foot complex include a 9,000 to 11,000-seat arena, 12 basketball and volleyball courts, four hockey rinks convertible into indoor soccer fields, a half-mile indoor running track, and a 450,000-square-foot indoor water and surf park. The development would also include a 96-tee golf center, outdoor football and soccer fields, and three hotels totaling 2,000 rooms.
Eric Turner, who is working on the project’s financing, said the group has enlisted global real estate giant JLL to help bring the development to life.
“JLL is helping Motown Sports Group secure funding for the $3 billion Motown Sports Village project,” Turner said. “We’re very excited to be partnering with JLL.”
The financing includes raising $40 to $50 million in pre-development and land costs. JLL, a Fortune 500 company with over 113,000 employees operating in more than 80 countries, brings institutional investor relationships the project will depend on.
Dr. Sivena Taylor, also of Motown Sports Group Holdings, said the Romulus location was a deliberate choice.
“Romulus is in close proximity to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. 33 million people travel through this airport every single year. Many of these people will visit our facility once it opens,” Taylor said.
The site also sits near Interstate 94, providing a direct corridor from Chicago and other Midwest markets.
Romulus Mayor Robert A. McCrate has publicly endorsed the project, calling the city “the ideal site” for the development given its proximity to the airport.
Boyd said construction is set to begin in early 2027, with phased openings beginning in 2029.
The project is led by CEO and Chairman Kenneth Wayne Bardwell and draws on advisory expertise from AECOM Sports and Legends Global in addition to JLL.
More information is available at motownsportsgroupholdings.com.