Halfway through the year, Westfield, with its 26 baseball fields, 31 multi-purpose sports fields and the event center in Grand Park, had already recorded over a million visitors.
Matt Trnian, director of the Grand Park Sports Campus, presented a semi-annual report on activities at the sports complex to the Westfield City Council on July 22.
As of July 1, Grand Park reported revenue of $2.9 million for 2024 and expenses of $1.95 million.
“Compared to 2023, revenues are up just over $100,000. Expenses are down just over $100,000,” Trnian said. “We’re proud that our investment is growing.”
Capital projects in 2024 include $3.2 million for campus improvements. Trnian said those funds were primarily invested in three projects – improvements to Parking Lot J, new turf on the athletic fields and new lighting on the athletic fields.
“If you’ve ever spent time in Parking Lot J over the last 10 years, you’re probably very grateful that we paved part of (the parking lot),” Trnian said. “This project would not have been possible without the help of the Department of Public Works, who helped us tremendously in getting the project completed. This access is one of the main accesses to the diamond portion of the facility. We really cleaned it up and gave it the space it needed by adding nearly 80 parking spaces and improving the visitor experience with this parking lot.”
Work on the field included laying new artificial turf on three fields. Trnian said the original turf was a monofilament surface that lasted about 10 years, which is the industry standard. He said the new turf is cross-matted and more durable to withstand heavier use and is expected to last longer than the previous turf.
Three of the baseball fields also received new lighting, paid for with support from Bullpen Tournaments, a grant from Hamilton County Tourism and budget funds.
Trnian said all investment projects were completed with cash, without the need for financing.
Since July 1, Grand Park has recorded 1.7 million visits, including 145,450 athletes and 840,000 individual visitors.
“What we’re seeing here from a trend perspective is that our attendance, athletes and teams are actually up from 2023 to 2024 (but) the number of visitors coming with those athletes is starting to decline a little bit,” Trnian said. “We’re starting to see that trend. We’re working to implement events that will attract as many people as possible.”
Trnian also said that Grand Park will partner with Coca-Cola in 2024.
“It was great to have this brand recognition on campus and our guests responded very positively,” he said.
According to the report, Grand Park is the 16th most visited sports complex in the country, with 5.5 million visits in 2023. Grand Park is also the most visited competitive sports complex in the country and was voted the best sports facility for lacrosse and soccer by SportsEvents Magazine.
For more information, visit grandpark.org.
