Representatives from multiple localities on Friday ceremonially turned the first dirt at the future site of Williamsburg’s regional indoor sports center, which officials in the Historic Triangle hope will attract a different breed of tourism to the area.
The 200,000-square-foot Williamsburg Sports & Events Center is slated to open in 2026 after around a decade of discussions. The facility got official approval in December 2023.
“This facility will be a shared landmark,” Williamsburg Mayor Doug Pons said. “A community asset to enjoy for many decades.”
The project is a joint venture of the city as well as James City and York counties, which together formed the Historical Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority in 2021. The Authority is overseeing construction and management of the sports center located near the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.
“In building this Sports & Events Center, we will attract large tournaments and events to our community with increased overnight stays and return visits,” said Ruth Larson, chair of the James City County Board of Supervisors.
Sports tourism in Virginia is estimated to have drawn $2.7 billion in direct spending, according to a 2022 economic impact study. More than a quarter of that is spent in the Coastal Region, which includes the Greater Williamsburg area.
Other communities around the region have also bet big on youth sports facilities to attract tourism and spending, like Hampton’s Aquaplex or Virginia Beach’s Sports Center.
Officials in the Historic Triangle hope the center’s impact reaches beyond just dollars and cents.
“When I see people coming together, when I know that children are going to come and play here, their families are going to come — that’s what helps to make this a community,” said Sheila Noll, vice chair of the York County Board of Supervisors. “And because we are a community, this has come to fruition.”
The center will include 12 basketball courts that can convert into 24 volleyball or 36 pickleball courts, as well as climbing walls, gym equipment and even meeting rooms.
“You have the right environment, you have all the right features,” said Mark Olmstead of MEB, the company responsible for constructing the center. “It’s a perfect storm and you’re going to have a perfect product.”
The center comes with an $80 million price tag, with Williamsburg paying for about two-thirds of the construction and the Historical Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority covering the rest, with funding from the 1% Historical Triangle Regional Sales Tax.
Once it’s up and running, operating costs will be split evenly by York and James City Counties.
The project wasn’t entirely smooth sailing from the start. Both counties approved the center by narrow margins in at-times contentious meetings. Residents criticized the 1% tax funding the work, pejoratively calling it the “Tommy” tax after former Sen. Tommy Norment, who ushered it through the General Assembly.
“They used to call me, in Richmond, Senator Creampuff,” Norment said. “This project is going to be the defining legacy project of 2026 in these three localities, and let there be no mistake about it.”
Early conversations about the sports center were sparked by the Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association, which received a grant in 2019 for study and design of an indoor recreation center.
“We are eternally grateful for each and every soul that has helped us get here today,” said Ron Kirkland, the association’s executive director. “And maybe, at least for one day, we can all be one big happy family.”
Current plans indicate the center will be open Monday through Thursday for local programs, with regional and national tournaments taking the floor Fridays and Saturdays.
