$98M women’s-focused sports campus in Fair Oaks to include VIP leadership – Inside Indiana Business

A new youth sports center aimed at female athletes is in the works in Indiana, and the first phase of the project will receive extensive state and county funding.

The $98 million, three-phase project known as Marvella is expected to occupy 120 acres at Fair Oaks Farms, on the eastern edge of Newton County in northwest Indiana. The project will include 300,000 square feet of facilities, multiple turf fields and courts for basketball, volleyball, flag football, lacrosse and soccer, and a multi-purpose field for championship events. .

The sprawling development will offer training facilities, educational programs, physical and mental health support, an expansive media center and a museum focusing on Indiana’s role in passing Title IX, federal law established in 1972 that strengthened the funding of women’s sports.

Marvella, created by brothers Glenn and Lou Tilley, is named in honor of the late Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh who proposed the creation of Title IX.

The project includes the involvement of Indiana Fever President Allison Barber, who will oversee Marvella’s nonprofit division, as well as former Fever star player and manager Tamika Catchings in an advisory capacity. Suzy Kolber, a longtime competitor and analyst for ESPN, will oversee digital communications for the project. Billie Jean King Enterprises also contributed to the project.

Marvella is set to receive $4 million in federal Economic Acceleration and Development, or READI, as well as $4.5 million in tax credits. It will also receive $5 million from Newton County for the project. The READI funding was announced Thursday afternoon during the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s quarterly meeting. in Vincennes.

Construction on the first phase of the $38 million project is expected to begin later this year and will primarily consist of an indoor athletic center with eight basketball courts (which can also be used for volleyball ), as well as a training center for skill development and athletic training needs. The first phase is expected to open in 2026.

The second phase will be the development of a leadership and health and wellness center through which Marvella plans to offer educational programs, a speaker series and a media room, as well as public spaces. outdoor sports and women’s sports museum.

The final phase of the project will be the construction of a 5,000-seat indoor arena for championship events, championship games, concerts and other events, as well as six other outdoor arenas.

The development is expected to create 1,000 jobs, the government said.

“Right now, Indiana is leading the way in women’s sports,” Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said in a written statement. “It is important that we do not take our foot off the gas and continue to use the power of our country in sports. This is a project that you should always keep an eye on, and I am very happy to see the impact of this center on the community ours and future leaders, our country and our leading sports environment.”

Marvella President Glenn Tilley, who previously led Ripken Baseball and is also CEO of sports consulting firm The Champions Network, said the location of the Fair Oaks Farms project is a “strategic step” that will allow the agency to serving more than 900,000 young women who participate. games in Indiana and Illinois. This area is about 65 miles south of Chicago and about 100 miles north of Indianapolis.

“We are excited to create a great place where women and girls can reach their full athletic potential,” Tilley said in a statement. next generation of women leaders Our mission is to touch and reach all people, regardless of their background, by providing athletes and their families with a unique sports-based experience that promotes mental, physical and spiritual well-being. “

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