WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — A large sportsplex is coming to the Historic Triangle.
It will be called the Williamsburg Sports and Events Center, and it will cater to sports tourism from out of state and for local teams, too.
In 2022 in Virginia, sports tourism accounted for $4.5 billion. Our region claimed 27% of that.
“Destination travel is just so important now, I have grandchildren that travel states away just to compete,” said Sheila Noll, vice chair of the York County Board of Supervisors.
The sportsplex is a joint effort between the city of Williamsburg, York County, and James City County.
“The three of us could not do it by ourselves, but we’re neighbors, it’s a community, and people from all three will be coming into this and forming that community,” said Noll.
The facility will house 12 basketball courts, pickleball, volleyball, a climbing wall, and it will house the largest retractable turf field in the United States.
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It will be open Monday through Thursday for local sports, and Friday and Saturday it will cater to regional and national competitions.
“It’s going to introduce Williamsburg, James City County, and York County to a whole new generation of folks so that they can see what we have to offer in addition to the sports,” said Williamsburg mayor Doug Pons.
Ruth Larson with the James City County Board of Supervisors said the idea has been more than 10 years in the making, and it was born out of necessity.
“This is a real need for James City County," said Larson. "Of course, the sports tourism side really has me excited, but we are out of space, recreational space, for our citizens."
Tourism-related taxes are funding the majority of the $80 million project. One of those taxes is the Historic Triangle tourism tax, which is a 1% tax on anything consumable.
The estimated completion for this project is 2026.
