Aerial view of Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana. Master plan developers call it “A Place for People Who Love Sports.”
All images courtesy of City of Westfield, Indiana
Economic development takes on an athletic twist in Westfield, Indiana.
In the classic 1986 hoops movie “Hoosiers,” coach Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman, tells his basketball team at a small high school in Indiana what it means to compete for a championship: “If you put your efforts and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game,” he says. “In my book, we’re going to be winners.”
The ultimate underdog redemption story, “Hoosiers” could be a metaphor for the City of Westfield, a 32-square-mile town of 58,410 people about 25 miles north of downtown Indianapolis. Inspired by the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship, the film captured the essence of small-town, Midwestern grit, determination and hustle — qualities found in Westfield, a rapidly growing suburb in Hamilton County in Central Indiana.
While Coach Dale’s team wanted to win a state title, the City of Westfield aims to capture a national one. They want to be known as the No. 1 youth sports city in America.
“We are the youth sports capital of the U.S.,” says Jenell Fairman, Westfield’s economic development director.
It’s hard to argue with her. From 2017 to 2023, the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield had 37.48 million visitors — more than any other youth sports complex in America. Disney World’s famous Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando came in second with 30.66 million visitors, followed by youth sports parks in Blaine, Minnesota; Manheim, Pennsylvania; and Cartersville, Georgia.
“We are a growing city, and we are using sports to grow our population and our economy,” says Fairman. “Westfield was the sixth-fastest-growing city in the U.S. in 2023. We have been growing between 10% and 30% each year.”
Hamilton County is home to Westfield and three nearby cities: Noblesville, Fishers and Carmel. “Our county’s four cities all touch each other. We have been growing like crazy,” says Fairman. “We are often listed among the best places to live in the country because we have some of the highest quality of life found in Indiana and the U.S.”
NFL? NBA? USL? Come One, Come All
Sports and recreation drive that. Known for its award-winning parks and trails, Westfield caters to people who crave an active outdoor lifestyle and raise kids who want to be the next Caitlin Clark or Tyrese Haliburton. “Our main economic driver has been Grand Park — the largest youth sports facility in the country at over 400 acres,” Fairman notes. “In 2023 alone, Grand Park had over 5.5 million visitors.”
In the highly competitive world of youth sports, hosting big events is big money; and nothing brings in outside visitor spending quite like hundreds of youth athletic contests that annually attract millions of athletes and their families.
Because of that, Westfield is doubling down.
“We adopted a 150-acre master plan for Grand Park,” says Fairman. Today, the campus includes 31 multipurpose fields; 26 baseball and softball diamonds; a 378,000-sq.-ft. Events Center with three full-size indoor synthetic fields; office space; and a full-service restaurant and bar.
The campus also hosts the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts Training Camp; the NBA’s Indiana Pacers Athletic Center; the training grounds of the Indy Eleven men’s and women’s soccer teams of the USL; Wright’s 360; and Pro X Athlete Development.
Fairman says future plans include a brand-new outdoor soccer stadium with seating capacity for 15,000 fans; an indoor ice arena for youth hockey and other tournaments; retail shops, eateries and other mixed-use space.
None of this is by happenstance, notes Fairman.
“Scott Willis is our new mayor, and he has set economic development as a priority for Westfield. We want to enhance quality of life around this youth sports amenity and grow it,” she says. “We are like the best-kept secret in the Midwest, but a lot of people know about Grand Park.”
“We are like the best-kept secret in the Midwest, but a lot of people know about Grand Park.”
– Jenell Fairman, Director of Economic Development, City of Westfield, Indiana
A lot of companies know about Westfield too. Over the past decade, 160 corporate facility expansion projects have landed in Hamilton County. Only Marion County, which includes the state capital of Indianapolis, had more projects during that time (396) in Indiana. Some of the biggest investments in Indiana have occurred in Hamilton County. These include Andretti Autosports’ $200 million project in Fishers and Bastion Solutions’ $164 million plant in Noblesville.
Westfield, meanwhile, has garnered its fair share of corporate facility investments. Portal Diabetes Inc. announced a $4 million capital project in April of this year, while Vikan, a light manufacturing company, announced a headquarters relocation to Westfield as part of a $10.5 million, 80,000-sq.-ft. project. Other large projects in Westfield in recent times include Builders Digital Experience and Isotopia Molecular Imaging.
Existing large employers in Westfield include IMMI, a safety strap maker; SEP; Agreliant Genetics LLC; Abbott Labs; and Westfield Steel, among others.
Leveraging Sports for Economic Growth
Sports, however, remain the crown jewel of the community. With basketball ingrained into the blood of most Hoosiers, it didn’t take much for the entire state to wrap its collective arms around Caitlin Clark and her Indiana Fever of the WNBA or to enthusiastically jump on the “Yes, ’Cers” bandwagon of the Indiana Pacers and their march to the NBA Finals.
But round rims aren’t the only circles drawing sports fans to town. Westfield recently secured a deal to host the LIV Golf Individual Championships August 15-17 at The Club of Chatham Hills. And Grand Park’s new soccer stadium, upon completion, is expected to host home games of both Indy Eleven USL squads.
Artist renderings of the Grand Park Master Plan and retail plaza. Think of Atlanta Braves’ stadium Truist Park and The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, as a comparison, say developers.
All of this, says Fairman, feeds into the growth of the Grand Park Sports Campus, which is in the midst of a 10-year master plan that includes development of a full-scale retail, entertainment and mixed-use project bringing athletes, shoppers, hotel guests and concert-goers to the sports mecca of Westfield.
“I came from Carmel,” says Fairman. “We are focused in Westfield on building a better quality of life. I don’t think our story was being told. There are not many places in America that compare to Hamilton County. I think the best comparison to Westfield is Carmel 20 years ago. When you look at our neighborhoods — places like Chatham Hills, Bridgewater, Centennial and Harmony — these are some of the highest valuations in the city.”
More are coming, she adds. “Westfield has been issuing more housing permits than the rest of Hamilton County combined and more than Marion County,” she says. “We have enjoyed exponential growth over the last 20 years.”
After all this growth, what’s next for Westfield? “We’re looking for more high-tech investments and we’re focused on sports technology,” Fairman says. “My goal is to bring more of those jobs here.”
If the fictional Coach Dale of “Hoosiers” were asked today whether Westfield has already won, he’d likely respond by saying, “Yes, ’Cers.”
Profile: Westfield, Indiana
- Population: 58,410.
- Location: Hamilton County in Central Indiana.
- Metro Area: Westfield is part of the 11-county Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson MSA that has 2.2 million people.
- The Quakers, who founded Westfield, were instrumental in the Underground Railroad route through Indiana.
- Westfield is the hometown of world hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut.
- Westfield is home to two Pete Dye golf courses.
- Grand Park Sports Campus, home of Indy Eleven USL soccer team headquarters and Colts NFL Training Camp, is the nation’s largest sports tournament facility and is the most-visited youth sports complex in America with over 5 million visits in 2023 (note this is visits, not unique visitors).
