KALAMAZOO, MI — A $40 million youth basketball and volleyball complex could soon be built in Kalamazoo County.
What is driving the need for the facility? Advocates say it won’t just benefit youth sports, but also the local economy.
The proposed 120,000- to 150,000-square-foot facility would fill a void, creating a space for two underserved youth sports in the area — basketball and volleyball — said Jane Ghosh, president/CEO of Discover Kalamazoo, the organization behind the project.
“We think this is a transformational initiative for Kalamazoo County,” Ghosh said. “Youth sports are very big for us. But we are missing out on two of the sports that kids play the most.
“There is no state-of-the-art tournament facility in West Michigan for basketball and volleyball.”
Youth sports tournaments and events bring in millions of dollars each year to Kalamazoo County.
In 2023, they generated $28.5 million in direct visitor spending, contributing to the local economy through lodging, food, retail and other businesses, according to Discover Kalamazoo.
About 50% of that came from three sports — hockey, figure skating and wrestling, Ghosh said.
Much of that comes from hotel stays by athletes, parents and siblings.
“We get almost no hotel nights from volleyball and basketball because we don’t have facilities to host them,” she said. “Way more kids play basketball and volleyball than those three sports of hockey, figure skating and wrestling.”
Adding a hardcourt facility — which would feature eight basketball courts/16 volleyball courts — would bring in an estimated $48.6 million in economic impact per year to the community, according to a study by Conventions, Sports and Leisure.
Discover Kalamazoo and others are serving up plans for a new youth sports facility in Kalamazoo County. The return on investment would be big for the area, according to a feasibility study.Courtesy | Discover Kalamazoo
That money would come in through an estimated 36,000 additional hotel room nights per year as well as through dollars spent at local restaurants and businesses.
RELATED: Hotels may foot bill for new $40M youth sports complex in Kalamazoo County
The hotels, which would see a direct impact from the facility, are being asked to fund the project through a 4% incremental lodging assessment over 30 years.
With a focus on local use Mondays through Thursdays and tournament use Fridays through Sundays, CSL projects the facility would host 372,000 local attendee days annually and 223,615 non-local attendee days.
Two underserved sports
The facility would also mean a lot for youth basketball and volleyball programs locally, two area coaches said.
It would be a boon for college recruiting, ease financial burdens on families with kids in travel basketball and volleyball and provide consistent court time.
WMU Volleyball Coach Colleen Munson recalls the days when state volleyball finals were held in Kalamazoo, from 1989 to 1995 at Kalamazoo Central, and 1996 to 2007 at WMU. The community also used to host a tournament called Best of America until about 20 years ago, she said.
WMU volleyball Coach Colleen Munson coaches the Broncos to a MAC Tournament championship on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 from Read Fieldhouse in Kalamazoo, Mich. Munson said the dividends from a new youth volleyball / basketball facility in Kalamazoo could be huge for development and recruiting. (Matthew Ehler | MLive.com)
The tournaments were a huge opportunity not just for her program, which she’s led since 2005, but also for Kalamazoo College and Kalamazoo Valley Community College, she said.
“When you get to be 16, 17, 18, you are looking for opportunities to see college campuses,” she said. “That is why I am so bummed we are not hosting the state championships anymore.
“There were thousands of families that would come to Kalamazoo every October, November for the state championships. And for coaches who are used to going to other communities to recruit players at tournaments, it allows them the opportunity to get athletes on their campuses without having to set up official visits first.”
Bringing top tier talent to the community also elevates the level of recruit setting foot on your campus, she said. That’s something a new tournament facility would provide.
One doesn’t have to look far to see the impact big-time tournaments can have, said Brian Persky, Discover Kalamazoo director of business development.
Kalamazoo College has been hosting the USTA Boys’ 18U and 16U national tennis championships since 1943.
Jack Kennedy chases down the ball during the USTA Boys Nationals 18U championship match against Matthew Forbes on Aug. 11, 2024 at Kalamazoo College’s Stowe Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich. The 18U and 16U championships have been held annually at Kalamazoo College for 81 years. Matthew Ehler | MLive.com
“It’s no coincidence that K College has won more Division III men’s team tennis titles than any other school,” he said. “If you are a boys' tennis player in this country, Kalamazoo is legendary.
“There is not an American men’s tennis player that you could name that has not played here, from Arthur Ashe to John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Michael Chang.”
Kalamazoo College, which is tied with UC-Santa Cruz with seven national team titles, also has an all-sport record conference run of 74 consecutive conference crowns in men’s tennis in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) from 1936 through 2012.
Seeing that type of success in Kalamazoo excites Munson.
Getting younger volleyball players in town for tournaments could be a big boost for recruiting, she said.
A shortage of facilities
The Kalamazoo area currently doesn’t have enough facilities with high enough ceilings to accommodate sanctioned volleyball tournaments, Munson said.
The shortage of basketball court space goes a step further.
Corey Person talks to AAU players after practice at Portage West Middle School in Portage, Mich. on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Person is a former University of Michigan basketball player and the program director for United Persuit. Joel Bissell | MLive.com
It isn’t unusual for high school and club teams to be competing for space at church gyms or practicing at a court at The Salvation Army, said Corey Person, program director for the United Persuit AAU Basketball Program in Kalamazoo.
It’s also common for different grade levels to practice at the same space at the same time, which can hinder game preparation, he said.
“There’s very limited options in the area to get consistent access to,” said Person, a Kalamazoo native who played collegiately at the University of Michigan. “Another factor is, most schools you can’t get into during the summertime, which limits us.”
Person’s program is growing toward 200 participants from the greater Kalamazoo area.
He’s looking to expand that.
The program currently has boys in grades five to 12 and girls in grades seven to 12.
“Both will be starting at third grade next year,” Person said. “But to have that many teams, we need to have more court space.”
The new sports complex would also allow for youth basketball tournaments — which are nonexistent in the area now, Person said.
“Something like this facility would completely change the dynamic for youth basketball,” he said.
Other dynamics
Another thing that excites Person about the proposed facility is a chance for United Persuit’s sister program, Persuit of Excellence, to have a consistent space as well.
Persuit of Excellence is an afterschool mentorship program that promotes health and wellness for youth.
The facility could also provide weekend space for other sports, including pickleball, wrestling, badminton, table tennis, martial arts, cheer and dance, Persky said.
The complex also may include an indoor soccer facility once plans are finalized, he said.
While it would serve a different purpose than the $300 million arena being built downtown, there are also chances to partner with the arena on bigger tournaments, Persky said.
RELATED: Drone photos show $300M arena site progress as construction creeps closer in Kalamazoo
That includes hosting championship games for basketball tourneys at WMU’s court, something Person feels could go a long way toward recruiting.
“You’re giving kids a chance to really see what Western and the other schools have to offer before they even start taking official and unofficial visits to campuses,” he said.
Discover Kalamazoo officials have looked at more than 30 sites for the facility, Ghosh said. They’ve narrowed it to three undisclosed locations.
If the proposed funding mechanism is approved by local hotel officials, Discover Kalamazoo anticipates recommending a decision on a proposed site in May.
The anticipated timeline for the facility is to open in 2027.
“This is a time-sensitive opportunity,” Ghosh said. “If we delay, then we might not have the opportunity to do this within our market.”
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