Game On in Greater Williamsburg
By Julie Matthews / Images Courtesy of MEB
A new regional indoor sports complex will be constructed on the campus of the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, with the completion anticipated for 2026. The City of Williamsburg, James City County and York County are partnering on this monumental project with a shared goal of boosting sports tourism for the entire region. “We have put a tremendous amount of work into designing a state-of-the-art sports facility that is worthy of the exceptional athletes and caliber of play we see today in travel sports leagues across the country,” says Mayor Douglas G. Pons.
In late 2023, Greater Williamsburg’s local governments approved financial and design plans allowing the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority to work with Chesapeake-based construction firm MEB to build the 200,000-square-foot indoor sports complex, which has an estimated cost of $80 million dollars. The new complex will feature 12 basketball courts with the capability to convert into 24 volleyball courts and 36 pickleball courts, and a conversion turf system, where turf can roll out over the courts transforming the space into three soccer fields and a football field. In addition, it is slated to have a rock wall; climbing and ninja gym equipment; and food and beverage stations. The ultramodern sports facility will incorporate the latest technologies in the industry, such as automatic ceiling-mounted athletic equipment and tip and roll bleachers.
Greater Williamsburg is already recognized as a sporting event destination—from soccer and lacrosse to baseball and softball, and certainly golf—due to its high quality recreational fields and facilities including Warhill Sports Complex in Williamsburg, McReynolds Athletic Complex in Yorktown and its championship golf courses. Plans call for the new sports complex to support local recreational programs Monday through Thursday, and host regional and national tournaments Friday through Sunday. Undeniably, the new sports complex will elevate Greater Williamsburg’s status as a premier sports destination, thus, generating new and return visitors and longer stays.
The Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center campus has been designated as the new sports complex’s home because of its central location with close proximity to Interstate 64, downtown Williamsburg, Colonial Williamsburg and other popular attractions, along with numerous restaurants and accommodations. In addition, the campus has ample space for building additional venues in the vicinity to further increase tourism.
Groundbreaking for the new indoor sports complex is scheduled for early 2024. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new project.
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