Women-focused $98M sports campus in Fair Oaks to include VIP leadership – Inside INdiana Business

A new youth sports complex geared toward women athletes is in the works in Indiana, with the project’s first phase set to receive extensive state and county financial support.

The $98 million, three-phase project known as Marvella is expected to occupy 120 acres at Fair Oaks Farms, on the eastern edge of Newton County in northwest Indiana. The project will include 300,000 square feet of buildings, numerous turf fields and courts for basketball, volleyball, flag football, lacrosse and soccer, and a multi-purpose arena for championship events.

The sprawling development will also provide training facilities, educational programming, physical and mental health support, an expansive media center and a museum focused on Indiana’s role in the passage of Title IX, a federal law established in 1972 that bolstered funding for women’s sports.

Marvella, created by brothers Glenn and Lou Tilley, is named in honor of Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh’s late wife who inspired the creation of Title IX.

The project includes the involvement of outgoing Indiana Fever President Allison Barber, who will oversee the not-for-profit component of Marvella, along with former Fever star player and executive Tamika Catchings in an advisory role. Suzy Kolber, a longtime anchor and analyst for ESPN, will oversee digital communications for the project. Billie Jean King Enterprises is also involved in the endeavor.

Marvella is set to receive $4 million through the state’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI, along with $4.5 million in redevelopment tax credits. It will also receive $5 million from Newton County for the project. The READI funding was announced Thursday afternoon during the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s quarterly meeting in Vincennes.

Construction on the $38 million first phase of the project is expected to begin later this year and will largely consist of an indoor athletic facility with eight basketball courts (that can also be used for volleyball), as well as a training center for skills development and athletic training needs. The first phase is expected to open by spring 2026.

The second phase will be the development of a leadership and health and wellness center through which Marvella plans to offer educational programming, a speaker series and media room, plus six outdoor turf fields and an immersive women’s sports museum.

The final phase of the project will be the construction of a 5,000-seat indoor arena for championship events, tournament games, concerts and other events, along with six additional outdoor fields.

The development is expected to create 1,000 jobs, the state said.

“Right now, Indiana is riding a wave of momentum in women’s sports,” Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in written remarks. “It’s important we don’t take our foot off the gas and that we continue to tap into our state’s strength in sports. This is a project to keep your eyes on, and I’m certainly excited to see the impact of this facility on our communities and future leaders, our state and our leading sports ecosystem.”

Marvella President Glenn Tilley, who previously led Ripken Baseball and is also CEO of sports advisory firm The Champions Network, said the project’s location at Fair Oaks Farms is a “strategic move” that will allow the facility to serve more than 900,000 young women participating in sports in Indiana and Illinois. The site is about 65 miles south of Chicago and about 100 miles north of Indianapolis.

We are thrilled to create a beautiful space where women and girls can reach their full athletic potential,” Tilley said in written remarks. “Marvella is more than just a sports complex; it’s a community hub dedicated to empowering the next generation of female leaders. Our aim is to impact and reach all individuals, regardless of their background, by offering athletes and their families a distinctive experience rooted in sports that fosters the well-being of the mind, body, and soul.”

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