DOVER, Del. – The Delaware Tourism Office has awarded $11.3 million in grants to four Delaware sports facilities through the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund. 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, 2024. The office received 18 applications requesting more than $54 million. The 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 and Rep. Debra Heffernan, and representatives of the Delaware Tourism Office, the Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kent County Tourism, and Southern Delaware Tourism.
“This was a very competitive application process, and the panel worked diligently to consider the merits of each facility that applied,” says Sen. 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,” says Rep. 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,” says Jessica Welch, director of the Delaware Tourism Office. “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 following facilities receiving funding through the Sports Tourism Capital Investment Fund are:
- Wilmington Sports LLC ($6 million) to construct a new indoor track facility, adjacent to the Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, that will serve as a multisport complex and host a variety of events and competitions.
- DE Turf ($3 million) to make improvements to the complex in Frederica to host larger regional and national tournaments. This will include tripling the current stadium seating from 1,000 to 3,000 seats, constructing a new tournament facility, and adding additional amenities.
- 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 sanctioning tournaments 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 its facility in Bear to accommodate the increasing team and tournament demands.
