FAIR OAKS, IN – State, regional and local leaders today announced plans to establish Marvella, the nation’s first sports complex dedicated to empowering girls sports and leadership, at Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County. The development, which is being supported by Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative 2.0 (READI 2.0), is expected to create approximately 1,000 new jobs and fuel tax revenue and economic momentum across the northwest Indiana region.
Governor Eric J. Holcomb established the now $1.25 billion READI program in 2021, and it has since been nationally recognized for its success. READI 2.0, which was part of the governor’s 2023 Next Level Agenda and approved by the Indiana General Assembly, allocates another $500 million to regions across the state to accelerate shovel-ready projects and programs that are expected to transform Indiana communities, attract talent and improve quality of life for Hoosiers in the short and long term. READI 2.0 funding allocations were awarded in April to 15 regions representing all 92 Indiana counties.
“Right now, Indiana is riding a wave of momentum in women’s sports,” said Gov. Holcomb. “It’s important we don’t take our foot off the gas and that we continue to tap into our state’s strength in sports. This is a project to keep your eyes on, and I’m certainly excited to see the impact of this facility on our communities and future leaders, our state and our leading sports ecosystem.”
In northwest Indiana, READI 2.0 funding is being leveraged to support the first phase of the three-phase Marvella development, which will be located at Fair Oaks Farms – a premier agritourism farm and attraction in Newton County. Marvella will empower youth athletes and girls sports in the community and across the nation, offering leadership, character development, mental health and wellness, as well as fitness and nutrition programming. The sports complex will also fuel tourism and the sports economy, hosting tournaments, camps and clinics, and a sports-centric, family-friendly experience at Fair Oaks Farms. The destination has already received interest from national organizations and teams, including the Indiana Sports Corp., Amonte Sports, Indiana Girls Basketball, National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and USA Rugby, to participate in visits and partnerships.
"I am so inspired by the Governor's support of our mission at Marvella,” said Allison Barber, Ph.D., incoming chair of the Marvella Foundation. “I want to thank the IEDC for this grant, as well as Marvella Founder and President Glenn Tilley for inviting me to join his team and their mission. Glenn’s foresight and vision to launch the country’s first girls sports and leadership campus provides us the opportunity to honor the state of Indiana as the birthplace of Title IX, and most importantly, for Indiana to lead the country through sports to develop confident, healthy female leaders for the future.”
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The first phase of development is a $38.8 million investment (including a $4.5 million READI 2.0 allocation) to construct an approximately 300,000-square-foot facility with 16 courts and fields. Construction is expected to begin later this fall, subject to closing of the first round of financing and finalization of all agreements, and be complete by the spring of 2026. Future phases of development will add to the complex with a health and wellness center, women in sports and leadership museum, championship arena and 12 outdoor fields.
Marvella is also partnering with the Jasper Newton Foundation, Sagamore Institute and Billie Jean King Enterprises to promote the complex and the Marvella Foundation, which will support low-income athlete scholarships and program delivery.
“We are very excited to see another READI 2.0 project moving forward in Northwest Indiana,” said Heather Ennis, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum. “The Marvella facilities will create a destination that will attract athletes from all over the country. This, in addition to the other $90 million READI dollars invested by the IEDC will have billions of dollars of positive impact on our region for generations to come. Thank you to Governor Holcomb and the team at the IEDC for investing in Northwest Indiana.”
Marvella is being funded by a combination of public dollars, private equity investments, debt financing, social impact investments and charitable funding. In addition to READI 2.0 funding, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed to investing in Marvella through redevelopment tax credits (RTC), which provide an incentive for investment in the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized land and buildings across the state, offering up to $4 million to support the project. Newton County will also offer additional incentives to support the project.
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Newton County is part of the northwest Indiana READI region – led by the Northwest Indiana Forum – that was awarded $95 million total in READI 1.0 and READI 2.0 matching funds to support quality of life, quality of place and quality of opportunity projects across Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski and Starke counties. The region’s READI investments are designed to create a dynamic economic environment fueled by innovation, diversity and talent by investing in the advanced energy sector, expanding investment-ready assets, developing opportunity campuses to support communities, enhance destination development and amplify regional innovation and creative cultures.
