For many Cedar Valley families, youth sports mean loading up the car before sunrise, spending weekends in hotels, and driving for hours to tournaments. Soon, some of those game days could happen a lot closer to home.

Scheduled to open in early 2027, CourtWorks will bring a 100,000-square-foot indoor sports facility to Waterloo, creating space for basketball, volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, pickleball, and other events. The facility will feature eight full-size basketball courts that can convert into 16 volleyball courts, making it one of the largest youth sports venues in the region.

During a recent episode of the Cedar Valley Podcast, Waterloo Development Corporation Vice President Jim Miller shared how the project is taking shape and why it could have a lasting impact on local athletes and families.

According to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play initiative, families spend an average of nearly $1,500 annually on a child’s sports participation, with travel often being one of the largest expenses. As youth sports continue to grow, CourtWorks represents an opportunity to bring more tournaments, events, and recreational opportunities to the Cedar Valley, helping local families spend less time on the road and more time enjoying the experience.

Keeping Competition Close to Home

Youth sports have become a major part of family life, but participation often requires a significant investment of time and money.

 Tournament weekends can mean hotel stays, takeout, gas, and registration fees that quickly add up. By bringing more tournaments and events to Waterloo, CourtWorks will create additional opportunities for local athletes to compete close to home while expanding access to practices, camps, leagues, and skill development throughout the year, making it easier for more young people to stay involved in sports.

For Cedar Valley families, that means more opportunities to participate, more chances to build connections through sports, and more young people benefiting from the experiences that athletics can provide.

Miller sees CourtWorks as an investment in the next generation, sharing research provided by the facility’s management team showing that young people who participate in sports and other activities are more likely to attend college, perform better academically, develop healthy habits, and remain engaged throughout their lives.

The impact extends beyond the athletes on the court. Local tournaments mean grandparents can make the game, classmates can stop by to cheer, and friends don’t have to follow the action through photos and text messages.

For Waterloo West sophomore and club volleyball player Kennedy Crawford, that’s one of the biggest advantages. Volleyball has taken her across the Midwest and as far as Florida, but having tournaments closer to home means more opportunities for family and friends to be there in person. As Crawford put it, “I’ll be able to have more family come and watch.” For many young athletes, that’s what they’ll remember years later – the packed bleachers, the familiar faces, and the feeling of competing in front of the people who matter most.

Bringing Visitors to the Cedar Valley

While CourtWorks is designed to serve local athletes and families, it is also expected to bring thousands of visitors to Waterloo each year. Those visitors will stay in hotels, visit restaurants, shop at local businesses, and spend time exploring the community between games. Project leaders estimate the facility could generate between $10 million and $15 million in annual economic impact during its first five years.

For the Waterloo Development Corporation, that regional draw was one of the factors that helped move the project forward. Miller believes the influx of visitors can play an important role in supporting local businesses, particularly as downtown Waterloo continues to evolve and grow. By attracting events from across the Midwest, CourtWorks has the potential to create year-round activity that benefits businesses throughout the region and helps strengthen the local economy.

Interested in following the progress of CourtWorks? Learn more about the project, view updates, and explore the vision for the facility at waterloocourtworks.com