ROANOKE, Texas — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. Read the original article here.
A 122-acre youth sports complex is coming to Roanoke amid a craze for family-friendly diversions in the Metroplex.
The City of Roanoke announced July 19 on social media that Play It Forward plans to bring a sports and entertainment venue to the Denton County city, which is home to nearly 10,000 people.
Work on the project is expected to begin in the coming weeks, with an opening date sometime in 2025, according to the developer. The exact project timeline is still in the works.
Plans also call for retail space and a hotel. In total, the project is estimated to cost from $60 million to $70 million, according to the developer, 114 Development Group.
The upcoming sports facility, to be located along State Highway 114 and Cleveland Gibbs Road, is expected to feature five baseball diamonds and three soccer fields. The turf fields will also be able to accommodate practices and games for lacrosse, softball, football and other sports. Weekly youth sports tournaments are in the cards, with proceeds intended to go toward scholarships for local athletes.
The project represents a private-public partnership between the developer and the City of Roanoke. The two sides have been collaborating since 2020, said Dave Dickson, managing partner of 114 Development.
Dickson said he and his team chose Roanoke in part because of its location along the SH 114 corridor and for the city’s reputation for experiential development.
Dickson and Blake Beavan are driving the vision for Play It Forward. Dickson is an entrepreneur with a background in finance and Beavan is a former Major League Baseball player who is now director for the Dallas Tigers, a select youth and high school baseball team, which will use the upcoming venue for practices and tournaments.
The complex, minutes away from downtown Roanoke, comes as North Texas embraces the world of youth sports. Several mixed-use projects centered around sports and entertainment have come online in recent years, speaking to their appeal in fast-growing areas. Pickleball facilities, complete with entertainment and dining options, have become especially popular.
The Dallas Stars are building a youth sports facility in Farmers Branch, complete with several volleyball and basketball courts, and in Lewisville the club owns The MAC, a 38,000-square-foot youth sports facility.
In addition to sports fields, the Play It Forward complex plans to feature high-end shopping and dining spots as well a hotel to anchor the project. It will have more than 1,000 parking spaces, concession stands, shaded seating for spectators as well as a trail network surrounding the sports fields, according to the company website.
Play It Forward wants to elevate North Texas' reputation as a leader in youth sports and support the next generation of athletes, Dickson added.
"Youth sports play a crucial role in fostering community spirit and providing children with a healthy environment to develop physically, improve overall health, and build essential life skills such as collaboration, leadership, and resilience," Dickson said in a statement.
