Why indoor sports complexes are popping up across the greater Tampa Bay region
By Lily Belcher
August 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM EDT
These multiuse sites are being designed for youth tournaments, adult recreational leagues, conventions and graduations.
From the redevelopment of the Toytown landfill in Pinellas County to an addition to the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa to a plan for Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota, new indoor recreational spaces are being designed across the greater Tampa Bay region.
Even with other, similar facilities across the Gulf Coast, Nicole Rissler, the director of recreation and natural resources for Sarasota County, said she’s not worried about the area becoming oversaturated because the sites are far enough apart geographically.
She said if larger complexes, like the one planned for Nathan Benderson Park, are built within 20 or 30 miles of each other, there might be a problem. But the demand across the region is big enough to warrant this many properties.
ALSO READ: Hillsborough County ponders an indoor sports complex on MOSI property
“It's a win-win,” Rissler said. “It certainly helps to have sustainability and making sure that the facility is profitable and paying for itself.”
While these locations might be a landing spot for youth and other sports tournaments, they can also host local team practices, conventions and graduations.
"We need it from a community perspective, but it also would be amazing from a sports tourism and economic impact perspective,” Rissler said.
She said the Nathan Benderson site is modeled after the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, which is nearly 70 miles away.
Sarasota County looked at the distance between major indoor sports facilities in a feasibility study before deciding to add a complex to Nathan Benderson Park. (538x448, AR: 1.2008928571428572)
Rissler added other sites, like MOSI and Toytown, are also spaced out across the Bay area, so each can still succeed.
Hillsborough County is considering the MOSI site, across Fowler Avenue from the University of South Florida, and may pair it with additional outdoor recreational spaces. The planned 175,000-square-foot complex would be funded, in part, by settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill.
Pinellas County has been trying to redevelop the Toytown landfill for almost 25 years. The latest plan is to turn it into a sports complex. The county secured $15 million from the state to deal with the environmental hazards that come with remediating the property, near the junction of Interstate 275 and Roosevelt Boulevard.
Having indoor recreational options, Rissler said, is especially important during summer, when outdoor sports can be sidelined by extreme heat.
Groundbreaking for the Nathan Benderson Park facility is scheduled for late 2026 and will cost around $60 million. The MOSI and Toytown facilities are still in the planning phase.
Even with other, similar facilities across the Gulf Coast, Nicole Rissler, the director of recreation and natural resources for Sarasota County, said she’s not worried about the area becoming oversaturated because the sites are far enough apart geographically.
She said if larger complexes, like the one planned for Nathan Benderson Park, are built within 20 or 30 miles of each other, there might be a problem. But the demand across the region is big enough to warrant this many properties.
ALSO READ: Hillsborough County ponders an indoor sports complex on MOSI property
“It's a win-win,” Rissler said. “It certainly helps to have sustainability and making sure that the facility is profitable and paying for itself.”
While these locations might be a landing spot for youth and other sports tournaments, they can also host local team practices, conventions and graduations.
"We need it from a community perspective, but it also would be amazing from a sports tourism and economic impact perspective,” Rissler said.
She said the Nathan Benderson site is modeled after the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel, which is nearly 70 miles away.
Sarasota County looked at the distance between major indoor sports facilities in a feasibility study before deciding to add a complex to Nathan Benderson Park. (538x448, AR: 1.2008928571428572)
Rissler added other sites, like MOSI and Toytown, are also spaced out across the Bay area, so each can still succeed.
Hillsborough County is considering the MOSI site, across Fowler Avenue from the University of South Florida, and may pair it with additional outdoor recreational spaces. The planned 175,000-square-foot complex would be funded, in part, by settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill.
Pinellas County has been trying to redevelop the Toytown landfill for almost 25 years. The latest plan is to turn it into a sports complex. The county secured $15 million from the state to deal with the environmental hazards that come with remediating the property, near the junction of Interstate 275 and Roosevelt Boulevard.
Having indoor recreational options, Rissler said, is especially important during summer, when outdoor sports can be sidelined by extreme heat.
Groundbreaking for the Nathan Benderson Park facility is scheduled for late 2026 and will cost around $60 million. The MOSI and Toytown facilities are still in the planning phase.