Could Pullman Become America's Next 'Tourna-cation' Destination?

CHICAGO — From the start, the Pullman Community Center — a 38,000-square foot sports complex built on a former auto pound near 103rd Street along the Bishop Ford Freeway — had a field of dreams vibe.

"Believe me, when it's built they'll come," Ald. Anthony Beale (9th) predicted in 2014.

A year after the $15 million indoor center’s grand opening, the alderman’s premonition became a reality. The Amateur Athletic Union, a national youth sports organization that boasts 700,000 participants in 41 sports, inked a 5-year deal to make the Pullman Community Center it’s Midwest home office and a hub for year-round tournaments.

“They’re going to have tournaments for basketball, football, soccer, wrestling, chess, and all their sports, at the community center,” Beal said.

AAU officials have already made plans to install 9 removable basketball courts over the community center’s turf fields that will be used to host tournaments between April and September, Beale said.

“We’re going to be able to host 120 teams — that’s 10 to 15 kids on a team, plus their parents — every Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” Beal said. “This is going to bring in about $1.5 million a year. This is huge.”

The AAU deal is expected to bring in about $1.5 million in revenue, and even more opportunity. Local boosters say youth sports organization could be a catalyst that transforms Chicago’s far South Side into a so-called "tourna-cation" destination.

"Tourna-cations"— that's when families plan vacation around their kids' sports tournaments — is a huge contributor to the youth-sports economy — a $19.2 billion industry with "no end to growth in sight" that revolves around private coaching, traveling sports teams, pricey youth sports equipment and more, according to Wintergreen Research.

Towns around the country have tapped into the market by building massive youth sports complexes. For instance, the 400-acre Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield, Indiana, draws 2.5 million visitors a year and has helped Indianapolis suburb attract over $1.5 billion in economic development.

When you consider the Pullman Community Center's proximity to the Gately Indoor Track and Field (which will include the state's first hydraulic banked track when it opens next year) and Harborside International Golf Course, the Big Marsh recreation area and the grand opening of the Pullman National Monument visitor center, there's a case to be made that the far South Side has the makings of new youth-sports Mecca.

“You’ve got the makings of a pretty impressive recreational area. The AAU coming to the community center is a huge lift that pushes tourism,” said developer David Doig, head of the not-for-profit Chicago Neighborhood Initiative responsible for Pullman’s economic revival. “From an economic development standpoint, this is tremendous. When you start generating that kind of traffic, hotels, restaurants and retail follow."

Beal said the AAU deal has already sparked interest from a hotel chain.

"This is part of a huge renaissance on the far South Side that goes to show that with dedication, perseverance and great partners you can accomplish anything," Beale said. "All the things we've put together: The community center, the national monument and the retail makes Pullman a great destination and shows the need for a hotel, convention space and more shopping."

Over the last decade, Chicago Neighborhood Initiative revived the former Ryerson Steel property at 111th Street and Doty Road with a Walmart-anchored shopping area, the Method Soap Factory, Whole Foods Distribution Center and Gotham Greens indoor farm.

Adding the foot traffic that AAU tournaments will bring adds to that economic development momentum and could bolster local lobbying efforts to locate Chicago's casino across the expressway near Lake Calumet.

"The far South Side should absolutely be considered for the casino, it's the best location. You're closer to Indiana. The public infrastructure is already in place. The development costs would be less than putting it downtown," Doig said. "The economic impact will be greater. A casino doesn't add to the economy downtown. It'll get lost and become just another venue."