Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports in Lockport, IL
SFA has spent the last 10 years opening facilities that improve communities and contribute to our national health, and we are thrilled to be able to roll the Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports model out on a national scale.
Clearwater, FL (PRWEB) November 05, 2013
Amateur athletics have become a highly specialized endeavor and an increasing number of young athletes are dedicating themselves to a single sport by training year-round to become the very best. As a result, children have become increasingly vulnerable to injury, and many athletes are not developing the broad athleticism needed for overall health. This specialization is leading experts to question whether hyper-focus and the sports tunnel-vision trend is in kids’ best interests (1). As a company dedicated to improving communities by making athletic training accessible to all youth and amateur athletes, The Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) has joined forces with Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports to form Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Development Group, LLC. The development group is going through a national roll-out, with the newest indoor athletic facility recently breaking ground in Hilliard, Ohio.
Because athletic training is now a year-round undertaking, northern athletes are at a distinct disadvantage—they require indoor weatherproof training environments that allow them to condition in the same way as a player would in states without severe winters. As part of a mission to provide well-rounded training to all aspiring athletes and to help young athletes navigate the competitive landscape of youth and amateur sports, Bo Jackson developed Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports training center, an original facility in Lockport, Illinois designed to offer indoor athletic training during the cold months. Under the guidance of former Major League Baseball players, Olympic athletes and former collegiate and NFL trainers, coaches, teams and athletes are equipped with life skills, training habits and sports-specific abilities that allow them to excel in the highly competitive landscape of youth and amateur sports. The facility also requires its regular players to maintain good grades. Jackson’s facilities are backed by partnerships with Nike and Gatorade, allowing athletes access to top-quality gear and nutrition education.
Jackson’s original athletic facility in Illinois was so successful at changing players’ outcomes that the team decided to roll out the concept across the U.S. Turning to Florida-based SFA, which plans, funds, opens and manages a wide range of youth and amateur sports facilities, a partnership was formed and the companies launched Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Development Group, LLC. Along with the Elite Sports Development Group, SFA selected Ohio as the home for the next facility; SFA has also begun researching other locations, and is moving quickly to address the athleticism deficit with the addition of several indoor training facilities. Once completed, each complex will boast an 114,000 square-foot dome including a full-sized baseball infield, batting cages, a girls’ softball infield, a weight room, an 80-yard laser-timed track, two multi-purpose fields for soccer and football, multiple study areas, food concessions and more. As co-owner of the Development Group, SFA is involved in all of the future facilities, providing institutional-grade financial forecasting, market selection and centralized finance and management.
“Our main goal is to provide athletes with access to the best training facilities anywhere in the country,” said SFA CEO Dev Pathik. “SFA has spent the last 10 years opening facilities that improve communities and contribute to our national health, and we are thrilled to be able to roll the Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports model out on a national scale.”
SFA’s portfolio includes more than $3.5 billion in planned and operational facilities, as well as being the industry leader in the planning, funding, opening and managing of such complexes. The company will open more than 1.5 million square feet of indoor facilities, as well as 600 acres of outdoor facilities, by the end of 2014. These include sports tourism projects for municipalities and a variety of other community sport and recreation centers above and beyond what SFA is doing in partnership with Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Development Group.
“In today’s environment, limiting an athlete to only one sport inhibits him or her from developing the broad skills and conditioning that make for a truly well-rounded athlete and a long-term healthy lifestyle,” said Jim Thompson, President of the Bo Jackson Elite Sports Development Group, LLC. “When you train the complete athlete you give every athlete an equal opportunity to become the best player he or she can be, both on and off the field.”
For more information about the Sports Facilities Advisory and its suite of planning, funding, opening and management services, visit http://www.sportadvisory.com/home.html.
About the Sports Facilities Advisory:
Founded by CEO Dev Pathik, the Sports Facilities Advisory (SFA) is a leading resource in sports facility development. The Sports Facilities Advisory has helped launch or manage dozens of multimillion-dollar sports complexes in communities throughout the USA since its founding in 2003. SFA has also provided planning, funding, management and optimization services to private and publically-funded clients in locations around the world. Its services fall into four main categories: plan, fund, open and manage, which encompass business plans, feasibility studies, economic impact studies, funding support, staff recruitment and development, marketing, management systems and asset management services for youth/amateur sport and recreation centers. SFA’s success depends on its core philosophy to help communities by building and managing sports recreational facilities that enhance the health and economic vitality of the areas which they serve. For more information, visit http://www.sportadvisory.com/home.html.
1.Kroichick, Ron. “Injuries Exploding as Youths Focus on One Sport.” Sfgate.com. San Francisco Gate, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. sfgate.com/sports/kroichick/article/Injuries-exploding-as-youths-focus-on-one-sport-4898770.php.
