IRMO — A large sports center planned for Irmo could bring the opportunity for prominent athletic tournaments in the Columbia area, boosting tourism in the region.
The Nexx Level Sports Center would include a fitness center, climbing course, after-school tutoring area, eight basketball courts and 16 volleyball courts.
Proponents project it to bring $51 million in spending to the area in the first five years and $113 million in the first 10.
“That economic impact is travel to Irmo, overnight stays in hotels, shopping while they’re here, food while they’re here,” said Alison Hewitt, the project coordinator. “The average tournament is three days long. So every weekend there’s a few thousand people in town for three days with their kids.”
SC Kings Foundation, the local nonprofit behind the proposal, has contracted with The Sports Facilities Cos., which has sports complexes nationwide, including successful ones in Myrtle Beach and Rock Hill.
SC Kings says it plans to open a similar facility in Irmo, and is working to get financial commitments from Richland County, the state of South Carolina and private investors.
The proposed sports complex comes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when sports tourism proved to be a more stable form of tourism during the economic downturn.
“Nothing is recession-proof,” said Scott Powers, executive director at tourism agency Experience Columbia Sports. “But most families want their children to have everything they can.”
He added, “So usually the last thing that families want to cut back on is having their children being able to participate in these sports travel events.”
The sports center would aim to bring tournaments to Columbia every weekend, and work with community partners during the week, Hewitt said. A sports facility like Nexx Level is a must to bring major tournaments to Columbia, Powers said.
“A large facility like that is going to be able to attract the type of events that don’t even consider the Columbia area (now),” Powers said.
Plans for Nexx Level Sports Center have been in the works for about 2½ years, Hewitt said.
“Funding these projects is like the chicken and the egg,” Hewitt said. “People who do this kind of lending would like to see that the city, the county, the state, whatever is coordinating with this financially … say, ‘OK, we’ll be able to look at our budgets for funding options once you finance,’ and finance folks say, ‘We’ll be happy to close on financing, once we see that you have some contribution from the municipality.’ “
So far, SC Kings has put together $300,000 in funding, to start on environmental studies and forming a construction team. The total cost of the project will land at about $18 million, with 30 percent of the funding coming from government support, including $100,000 the town of Irmo has already committed, Hewitt said.
Sue Dillon, director of Lake Murray Volleyball Club, a nonprofit group that organizes youth volleyball events in the region, said her organization saw immediate value in the project, and invested a small amount to help SC Kings get started on the early stages of planning.
“It is a great deal of money (to us) because we are such a small organization, but in the big picture of this enormous project, it isn’t much,” Dillon said.
In early 2021, the Richland Recreation Commission reached out to Richland County for aid in funding a major sports complex, but the project never came to fruition.
“I’ve never had anybody, any politician, say they weren’t supportive of the idea,” Powers said. “But being supportive of it and approving $25 million are two different things. Everybody would would love to see it, but I think it’s going to take a public-private partnership.”
Despite funding challenges, SC Kings is moving forward with its plans and is committed to the 24.9 acre property on Bickley Road in northwest Irmo. The Columbia-area town is developed enough to sustain large crowds when the sports center opens its doors, but has plenty of space for growth, Hewitt said. Also, the town is right off the interstate, making travel convenient, she said.
“It just checks all the boxes for location, amenities, places to eat and a feel that makes these locations successful,” Hewitt said.
A sports center with enough courts under one roof makes tournament logistics easier, Dillon said.
“Having to rent out several locations with only one or two courts each is very expensive and logistically inconvenient,” Dillon said.
SC Kings hopes to finalize its financial plans in the next 30 to 60 days, allowing it to open doors in a year and a half, Hewitt said.
Irmo Mayor Barry Walker did not respond to request for comment.
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