Southwest Indiana is on the precipice of visible change. Here’s a look at what’s in store for a sports complex proposed in Warrick County. Read about more projects in the June/July 2024 Evansville Business feature story.
Warrick County sports complex
In August 2022, it was announced that an indoor sports complex off Epworth Road and Interstate 69 in Warrick County would receive $5 million in grants from the state’s READI program, which supports large capital projects in Hoosier communities.
It was said at the time that the complex would include an indoor track and the ability to host volleyball, archery, basketball, wrestling, and pickleball, as well as turf sports activities.
The project hit some roadblocks but is expected to break ground later this year, with a one-year construction timeline, says Steve Roelle, executive director of Success Warrick County.
The track initially included no longer is part of the complex. Costs and practical considerations led to that piece being removed, says Brandon McClish, executive director of the Evansville Regional Sports Commission.
Indoor track and field, McClish says, is a “niche” market and quality indoor facilities already exist at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis and in Louisville, Kentucky.
“Within our region, we have exceptional facilities that are being utilized and being upgraded for track and field,” McClish says.
But McClish says the complex coming to Warrick County’s western edge will have the opportunity to host several types of sports and nonsports activities. Half its playing surface may be converted to 70,000-80,000 square feet of open space for events such as conventions and trade shows.
A private entity, EDGE Sports Global, will construct and operate the complex using private financing as well as the state’s READI dollars and tax increment financing approved by the Warrick County Redevelopment Commission. The company has 12 sports facilities in its portfolio and several others in development.
