Key Takeaways
- Marvella’s three-phase, $98 million campus will cover 120 acres at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County, Indiana, about 65 miles south of Chicago.
- Phase one carries $13.5 million in public backing: $4 million in state READI funds, $4.5 million in tax credits and $5 million from Newton County.
- Former Indiana Fever president Allison Barber chairs the Marvella Foundation, joined by WNBA Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings and former ESPN anchor Suzy Kolber.
- The final phase adds a 5,000-seat indoor arena for championships, tournaments and concerts, and the state projects the full project will create 1,000 jobs.
Marvella, a $98 million girls sports complex planned for 120 acres at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County, Indiana, has secured $13.5 million in state and county support for its first phase, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Created by brothers Glenn and Lou Tilley, the campus is built for female athletes ages 8 to 18 and puts tournaments, training, leadership development and wellness programming in one place, according to Marvella’s website.
How the $98 Million Girls Sports Complex Builds Out
The project will total 300,000 square feet of buildings, plus turf fields and courts for basketball, volleyball, flag football, lacrosse and soccer, the Business Journal reported. Development runs in three phases.
Phase one, budgeted at $38 million, is an indoor athletic facility with eight basketball courts that convert for volleyball, along with a training center for skills development and athletic training. The September 2024 announcement targeted a spring 2026 opening.
Phase two adds a leadership and health and wellness center with educational programming, a speaker series and a media room, plus six outdoor turf fields and an immersive women’s sports museum.
Phase three brings a 5,000-seat indoor arena built for championship events, tournament games and concerts, along with six more outdoor fields. The state projects the full development will create 1,000 jobs.
Where the Phase One Funding Comes From
Public money covers more than a third of the first phase. Marvella is receiving $4 million through Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI), $4.5 million in redevelopment tax credits and $5 million from Newton County, per the Business Journal. The READI award was announced at the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s quarterly meeting in Vincennes.
Then-Governor Eric Holcomb tied the award to the state’s run in women’s sports, saying Indiana is “riding a wave of momentum in women’s sports.”
Private support has followed. Marvella says the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee awarded it a grant as part of the committee’s $1 million investment in Indiana youth and families. The grant amount was not disclosed.
A Leadership Bench From the Fever, ESPN and Ripken Baseball
Glenn Tilley serves as founder and CEO. According to Marvella’s press kit, he previously ran Ripken Baseball, the youth sports management business built around Cal Ripken Jr., as well as experiential marketing firm Becker Group and head impact protection company Defend Your Head. The Business Journal also identifies him as CEO of advisory firm The Champions Network. Lou Tilley, an 11-time Emmy recipient, leads media and communications.
The rest of the roster is built for visibility in women’s sports:
- Allison Barber, former Indiana Fever president, oversees the not-for-profit arm as chairman of the Marvella Foundation.
- Tamika Catchings, Naismith Hall of Famer and four-time Olympic gold medalist, serves in an advisory role.
- Suzy Kolber, a 27-year ESPN veteran, oversees digital communications.
- Margaret “Digit” Murphy, Brown University’s women’s hockey head coach for 24 years, is also on the leadership team.
Billie Jean King Enterprises is involved as well, the Business Journal reported.
A Title IX Museum and a 900,000-Athlete Market at Fair Oaks
The location is a regional play. Tilley told the Business Journal that Fair Oaks Farms puts Marvella within reach of more than 900,000 young women playing sports in Indiana and Illinois. The site sits about 65 miles south of Chicago and 100 miles north of Indianapolis.
The name carries the Title IX story. Marvella honors Marvella Bayh, the late wife of Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh, who credited her as his inspiration for championing the 1972 law, according to Marvella’s website. The planned museum will focus on Indiana’s role in its passage.
Marvella says the campus will serve an additional 400,000 female athletes each year. Its website does not yet list an opening date for phase one.
Source / Adapted From: Inside Indiana Business (Indianapolis Business Journal), Mickey Shuey, September 20, 2024, https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/women-focused-98m-sports-campus-in-fair-oaks-to-include-vip-leadership
Source / Adapted From: Marvella Sports, https://www.marvellasports.com/
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How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
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Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
