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MATTOON — The indoor portion of a 150-acre indoor/outdoor Mattoon sports complex — the Emerald Acres Sports Connection — is projected to open in November, while the exterior facilities could open next year.
While that would appear to be a competitive threat for the Rantoul Family Sports Complex, local officials aren’t concerned. They said they believe Rantoul’s facility will continue to do just fine.
Ed Dowd, executive director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce, said the community is thrilled with the projected influx of related retail and restaurant business coming as a result of the $80 million facility.
“Everybody’s thrilled to not only have the indoor center that will open, but we will have substantial retail business and restaurants coming,” Dowd said.
The Emerald Acres indoor center will host basketball and volleyball games. Dowd said the outdoor portion of the complex, which will have eight full-size baseball diamonds, 14 youth baseball/softball diamonds, 20 soccer/lacrosse fields and two football/rugby fields, is expected to open next year.
“There are estimates of 500,000 additional visitors to our community,” Dowd said.
While the $25 million Rantoul sports complex is impressive on its 70-acre campus, Mattoon’s will be more than double the size (150 acres) at more than three times the cost ($80 million).
The indoor facility, which will take up 3.4 of those acres (150,000 square feet), will include eight basketball courts and 16 volleyball courts.
As for event bookings, Emerald Acres General Manager Tyler Yoder said, “We’re wanting to look at all (possibilities) from local to regional to national.
“We’re excited about the future and our grand opening,” Yoder said.
The sports complex will have 2,000 parking spaces; team rooms that can be used in several capacities, whether for conferences or birthday parties; collegiate-style locker rooms; a medical walk-in center operated by Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center; and an entertainment center with augmented- and virtual-reality arcade games and a cafe.
The Mattoon sports complex is seen as an economic driver for the area. It is projected to generate more than $23 million in direct spending and 59,000 booked hotel rooms annually.
Rural King, with corporate headquarters in Mattoon, has been a major player in development of the sports complex.
The corporation, which operates 135 stores in 13 states, donated 110 acres of vacant farmland for the project.
The city of Mattoon has received a $2 million state grant to pay part of the cost for access roads to the complex and adjacent area beside Interstate 57 and Illinois Route 16.
Mattoon Sports Complex Inc., which will own Emerald Acres, will issue $4.5 million in revenue bonds to pay for the remainder of the road work after an agreement with the city.
Businesses that have signed agreements to locate near the sports complex include Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Famous Footwear, Michaels, Five Below, Bealls Home Decor, Kohl’s and Ulta Beauty.
Ryan Reid, Rantoul Family Sports Complex director, said the Rantoul complex is beyond busy, and he doesn’t expect it to change when the Mattoon facility opens.
The complex just finished hosting an 88-team baseball and softball tournament that was so crowded that it had to extend games past the weekend after starting on Thursday.
“There’s like a 30-team wait list,” Reid said.
“As they grow in popularity, people want to be here. It’s a great location for teams to meet.
“I’m not worried about Mattoon,” Reid said. “I wish Mattoon luck.”
Rantoul Village Administrator Scott Eisenhauer said the village is happy with the schedule and is booked up through 2028. Rantoul is on track for its second straight 1-million-visitor season — this in the sports complex’s third full year. He said that level of use wasn’t projected to happen until the fifth or sixth year.
Said Eisenhauer, “We’re excited about the organizations that we’re working with, and as long as we continue to take care of these organizations, provide a terrific space for hosting events, continue to see unique ways to utilize the venue, provide the customer service that players, coaches and spectators have come to expect in Rantoul and develop the amenities surrounding the complex that are necessary to grow, then we will have a successful future regardless of what other complexes may come into the state.”
Eisenhauer said Mattoon isn’t the only Illinois community interested in getting in the sports tourism market. Springfield is building the Shields complex, and Bradley, New Lenox and at one time Effingham were mulling building sports complexes.
While Rantoul has been surprised by the usage figures, it has been equally surprised, on the negative side, by how long it has taken for economic development to happen around the site.
Timing has played a role in it. Rantoul adopted plans to develop the facility as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing a postponement. With it came higher material costs, a lack of materials and labor shortages, all of which affected companies’ ability and willingness to build.
“We know options have been taken out on land for both hotels and restaurants, and we are excited about the development in the area that has already committed for construction in the next 24 months,” Eisenhauer said.
The village anticipates the construction of two additional hotels, two more restaurants and a medical facility. While Eisenhauer declined to name the medical facility, a check of the Champaign County property map shows the northwest corner of Stone Bridge Drive and Murray Road is owned by Gibson Area Hospital and Health Services.
Culvers has also announced plans to open a restaurant, and Busey a banking facility.
Being so close to Champaign-Urbana has been an advantage and a disadvantage.
Rantoul lodging facilities have been supplemented by its neighbors to the south, which is convenient for teams and families but likely made Rantoul a less-attractive location for hotel construction.
Eisenhauer said Experience C-U, Champaign Economic Development Corp. and Champaign County Chamber of Commerce have been valuable partners in the success of the sports complex.
