Gulf Shores Sportsplex Expansion Imminent

The City of Gulf Shores is one step closer to breaking ground on a multisport facility it says will increase year-round economic activity and improve the quality of life for its residents, AL.com reports. The city council has unanimously approved several actions to allow building a new facility at the preexisting Gulf Shores Sportsplex. The new facility will be approximately 40,000 ft2, including both indoor and outdoor spaces for beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, basketball, pickleball, wrestling, cheer, baseball, softball and dance. The plan allows for the city to enter a 30-year lease agreement with the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Center, which “will develop, support, and promote a wide variety of youth sport and educational opportunities, including instructional training, camps and clinics, league play, tournament play and practice opportunities in a wide variety of sports for hundreds of boys and girls throughout the community,” according to the city. More than $8.2 million in lease revenue bonds have been issued for the project, for which construction is expected to start in January 2024 and be complete by December 2024.