The Heart of the Sports Market

The Midwest region offers plenty of advantages for all sports event planners, and thatís even before you take into account the myriad indoor and outdoor venues ready for teams and athletes who compete in all playing seasons.
 

The cities of the American Heartland offer cultural landmarks, renowned culinary scenes and diverse entertainment options so that teams, families and fans have plenty to explore beyond the field or court. Here are a few options.
 

Overland Park, Kansas: AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk

AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk celebrated its grand opening last October. The 420,000-square-foot indoor sports and entertainment complex is within walking distance of the Bluhawk District, a 277-acre area packed with dining, shopping and entertainment. 
 

The first phase (260,000 square feet) includes Championship Arena, a 3,200-seat arena that boasts space for eight hardwood basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, 16 pickleball courts, an NHL/NCCA regulation ice rink with 1,500 seats, a 40,000-square-foot turf field and a sports performance training center.
 

Additional amenities include Hawk’s Outpost Family Entertainment Center and a grab-and-go café, as well as a bar and grill.
 

In its first year, the complex has hosted the KSHSAA 5A and 6A state wrestling championships, a Kansas State University vs. University of Missouri volleyball exhibition, the Triple Crown Volleyball NIT-Battle to Bartle event, the KC Frontier Feud Youth Wrestling tournament and the Crash Combat Championships VI, an MMA competition.

Phase Two will include a second sheet of ice, a mini-golf course and a second restaurant.

Hamilton County, Indiana

Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana is a 400-plus acre sports complex just north of Indianapolis. It features 31 multi-purpose fields and 26 baseball/softball diamonds.
 

The Grand Park Events Center (377,000 square feet) holds three full-size indoor synthetic turf fields, spectator seating, lounge and suites, meeting space, restaurant and bar amenities.
 

The Pacers Athletic Center, meanwhile, is an indoor facility with eight basketball or volleyball courts (one NBA regulation size), as well as multi-purpose courts.
 

Since its opening, Grand Park has hosted a wide range of local, regional, national and international events on the youth, adult and professional levels. It also serves as the Indianapolis Colts’ training camp location and is home to the Indy Eleven women’s soccer team, as well as a training site for the USL Indy Eleven men’s team.
 

Examples of events hosted are amateur and professional tournaments in soccer, baseball, softball, lacrosse and flag football. Other activities include indoor seasonal leagues, such as fall flag football, as well as fitness and athletic events, including hosting a stop on the World Fitness Project Tour.
 

The Events Center also handles trade shows, conventions, exhibitions, consumer shows and corporate gatherings.
 

The Fishers Event Center, with a seating capacity of 7,500, is the home arena for professional and semi-pro teams Indy Fuel (ECHL hockey), Fishers Freight (Indoor Football League, or IFL) and the Indy Ignite (professional volleyball, Major League Volleyball).
 

The arena is well-equipped to support a variety of sports. Some events on the books include the Pro Volleyball Federation All-Star Match, Mudsock (high school) Basketball Rivalry doubleheader and Professional Championship Bull Riders events.
 

The Arena at Innovation Mile (Noblesville, Indiana) boasts approximately 125,000 square feet and has 3,400 fixed seats, with the ability to accommodate up to 4,200 spectators. 
 

The primary sports tenant is the Noblesville Boom, the NBA G League affiliate of the Indiana Pacers. The arena is also part of the home for the new USA Gymnastics Training and Wellness Center.
 

Lincoln, Nebraska

The 12-year-old Pinnacle Bank Arena has used its 470,400 square feet and 16,000 seating capacity to host Division I men’s and women’s basketball games, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Regional Tournament and the season-opening 2025 AVCA Women’s Volleyball First Serve tournament with the nation’s top teams, including Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Florida, Stanford, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Creighton and Penn State.
 

The new Sandhills Global Youth Complex has eight natural turf fields for baseball and softball, as well as portable mounds and fencing. It is the home of the Division III Nebraska Wesleyan baseball and softball teams.
 

According to Derek Bombeck, director of sports for Visit Lincoln, the facility had hosted 2,300 games by mid-September of this year, with more to come. The complex also includes a field designed for youth with special needs. Plans also call for eventually adding soccer games to the mix, said Bombeck.
 

Janesville, Wisconsin

The brand new Woodman’s Sports and Convention Center offers 140,000 square feet for athletes to enjoy. A year-round permanent ice arena seats 1,500 and houses hockey, figure skating and other ice sports.
 

The center also includes a 25,800 square-foot space with hard court for youth sports and a multi-use arena that is ice for a portion of the year and also can be converted to dry space for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and other sports.
 

When being used for court sports, the space available fits basketball (six courts are possible), volleyball (eight courts) and pickleball (21 courts). The arena can also accommodate one regulation-size soccer field with indoor turf and dasher boards.
 

Events already booked include NAHL Prospects Tournament, Veteran’s Honor Wrestling Tournament, One World One Love Gymnastics Competition, The Wisconsin Crown cheerleading competition and UCE Cheer and Dance Competition.
 

Mattoon, Illinois: Emerald Acres Sports Connection

The new Emerald Acres Sports Connection spans more than 150 acres and offers both indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment options.
 

Indoors, the venue features eight basketball courts that convert into 16 volleyball courts, a full arcade with 47 games, a café and multi-purpose spaces. The outdoor facilities, opening in June 2026, will have four baseball/softball fields, 12 multi-purpose turf fields and eight full-size soccer fields. 
 

Tournaments already hosted include Hype Nation Volleyball, USJN Basketball and the NASP State Archery Tournament.

Shores & Islands Ohio

In Sandusky, Ohio, Sports Force Parks features 10 fields and accommodations for tournaments for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, flag football and other field sports. 
 

Cedar Point Sports Center boasts 145,000 square feet that can be portioned into 10 hardwood basketball courts or 20 volleyball courts, a championship arena with retractable seating, a 9,500-square-foot entertainment center, meeting spaces and a café  and concessions. 
 

Cedar Point has hosted Nuway Combat Sports Wrestling tournaments, Midwest Live Basketball tournaments and Hype Nation volleyball tournaments. 
 

With 215,000 square feet of flexible space, including ballrooms measuring 38,000 square feet, 17,000 square feet and 11,000 square feet, the Kalahari Resort & Conference Center can host most indoor sporting events such as esports, cheer, dance, cornhole, wrestling and more. It also has hosted USA Cheer events, along with a Riptide Esports Tournament. 
 

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Long a city for regional and national sports, Oklahoma City isn’t resting on its laurels, as a $1 billion downtown arena will open in 2028 to host the OKC Thunder. There is also a downtown multi-purpose stadium with 15,000 seats, ready for soccer, football and other sports, according to Adam Wisniewski, vice president of sports development with Visit OKC.
 

The Oklahoma City Convention Center has hosted events including the USA Gymnastics Development Program National Championships that featured 1,600 of the top youth gymnasts in the U.S., consumed 5,000-plus room nights and resulted in $5 million in direct economic impact. The American Spirit Championships Super Nationals produced nearly 3,500 room nights and more than $4 million in economic impact.
 

Other events included the USA Wrestling Southern Plains Regional Championships that generated almost 4,000 room nights and more than $3 million in economic impact, and the United Futsal Red River Regional Showcase.

 

The OG&E Coliseum at OKC Fair Park, meanwhile, will host the horse show events that have given the city the nickname of “Horse Show Capital of the World.” The venue also will host the Oklahoma State Secondary School Association State Wrestling Championships and State Basketball Championships, Central Oklahoma Wrestling Association’s 50th United State Junior Open Championships, Redland Rendezvous Volleyball Tournament and All State Wrestling Association’s Junior High All-State Wrestling Tournament. SDM