Around this time next year Sevier County will be planning a summer grand opening for a brand new sports complex.
Titled Rocky Top Sports World, the facility is currently under construction in Gatlinburg and will be open by next June. In all, it will be home to 80 acres of sports fields including a football field for Gatlinburg Pittman High School, as well as for a host of tournaments.
Upon completion of Rocky Top Sports World, seven state-of-the-art synthetic turf fields, six basketball and 12 volleyball courts, plus several championship fields and courts will adorn an 80-acre area
Tuesday morning, leaders from Sevier County and the City of Gatlinburg came together to announce the project and talk about long term economic goals.
Within the first five years of being open, the total economic impact on the area is expected to be $100 million dollars, with more than 400,000 visitors.
Gatlinburg is excited about the added bonus of sports tourism.
“It’s the only industry that actually grew during the recession, so when we began to learn and realize this, we knew it was an opportunity for us to bring in new folks to the area and again not just about Gatlinburg, but the whole of the county,” said Cindy Cameron Ogle, Gatlinburg City Manager
The target date for the grand opening is in June 2014.
