Key Takeaways
- Motown Sports Group Holdings proposes a $3 billion, 452-acre sports and entertainment campus in Romulus, Michigan, with 1.15 million square feet of indoor facilities.
- The plan includes an 11,000-seat arena, four hockey rinks, 12 basketball and volleyball courts, and a 450,000-square-foot indoor water and surf park.
- Three hotels totaling 2,000 rooms would anchor lodging capacity on a campus designed to keep visitors on-site for multi-day stays.
- JLL Capital Markets is leading an initial $40 to $50 million predevelopment and land financing raise, with construction targeted for 2027 and phased openings starting 2029.
- Sports tourism generated $111.2 billion in direct spending in the U.S. in 2025, according to the Sports Events and Tourism Association.
A 452-Acre Campus Built for Tournament Travel
Motown Sports Village would rise on roughly 452 acres north of Detroit Metropolitan Airport, in an area bounded by Wick, Vining, Ecorse and Wayne roads, off the I-94 corridor. The proposal calls for 1.15 million square feet of indoor year-round sports space, with developers stating the campus is designed as a self-contained destination where visitors can eat, shop, and attend games without leaving the property.
Kenneth W. Bardwell, chairman and CEO of Motown Sports Group Holdings, said in a statement the project is intended to transform the Detroit metro area into a youth travel sports and entertainment destination resort.
Facility Mix Spans Courts, Ice, Water and Outdoor Fields
The plan covers a wide range of indoor and outdoor inventory. Indoor components include 12 basketball and volleyball courts, four hockey rinks convertible to indoor soccer fields, and a half-mile indoor running track. Outdoor space includes football and soccer fields plus a 96-tee golf center.
Entertainment programming sits alongside the athletic footprint. Plans include a 450,000-square-foot indoor water and surf park, an arcade, bowling, rock climbing, and an IMAX theater. A 71,700-square-foot technology center is also part of the proposal.
The arena is sized at 9,000 to 11,000 seats for tournaments, concerts, and family shows. Two parking decks would offer more than 5,000 spaces, and three hotels totaling 2,000 rooms would handle multi-night travel volume.
Sports Tourism Numbers Behind the Bet
Developers are pointing to a category that has scaled rapidly. The 2026 Sports ETA State of the Industry Report shows sports tourism generated $111.2 billion in direct spending nationwide in 2025, supported $274.5 billion in total economic impact, drove more than 124 million hotel room nights, and supported 1.6 million jobs.
“Sports tourism has firmly established itself as one of the most powerful economic engines in the United States,” said John David, president and CEO of Sports ETA.
Michigan has already seen the effect on a regional level. The West Michigan Sports Commission reported that youth and amateur sporting events generated more than $83.5 million in economic impact in 2025 and accounted for roughly 50,000 hotel room nights. Grand Rapids, Midland, and Kalamazoo have all moved to expand tournament infrastructure to capture that spending.
Approvals in Place, Financing in Early Stages
The Romulus Planning Commission unanimously approved a conceptual site plan in March 2024, though developers noted revised plans and additional review are still expected.
JLL Capital Markets announced in April 2026 that it had been hired as the exclusive financial intermediary, with the initial workstream targeting $40 million to $50 million in predevelopment and land financing, a small portion of the $3 billion total. Construction is targeted for 2027, with phased openings beginning in 2029.
Romulus Mayor Robert A. McCraight backed the proposal, citing the city’s location adjacent to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and along I-94 as positioning it for a project of this scale.
What This Means for the Destination Youth Sports Market
If executed as proposed, Motown Sports Village would rank among the largest sports tourism developments in the Midwest. The 2,000-room hotel package, 1.15 million indoor square feet, and 11,000-seat arena reflect a sizable amenity footprint within the destination youth sports category.
The proposal remains in early innings. Capital stack execution, particularly the move from the initial $40 to $50 million predevelopment raise to full project financing, will determine whether the 2027 construction timeline holds. Operators tracking this market should watch the JLL-led capital process, hotel partner announcements, and tournament operator commitments. The multi-sport inventory across basketball, volleyball, hockey, soccer, football, and golf points to a diversified revenue model rather than a single-anchor approach.
Sources:
MLive, Fuad Shalhout, May 15, 2026
Spectrum Local News, Melanie Tolen, May 15, 2026
photos: JLL Capital Markets / Motown Landing Sports and Entertainment LLC
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