City of Morgan Hill Bikeways, Trails, Parks and Recreation Master Plan

6 East Monroe Street

Fifth Floor

Chicago, Illinois 60603

Phone: 312.447.2010

Fax: 312.444.1125

Section 6: Participatory Sports Trends

May 2017

Sports Market Business Strategy – Morgan Hill, CA

PAGE 87

facility works hard to distinguish itself in a region, and often relies on the continual addition (or

subtraction) of amenities such as multiple fields and courts, high-end locker rooms, increased seating

or concessions to maintain appeal.

An increase in sport specialization and the need for sophisticated training have influenced the design

and makeup of the facilities. Facilities are now designed with the specific mission of the building in

mind and create an atmosphere with amenities that drive the specialized business of the facility, such

as “Championship Stadiums” that target national and regional tournament play. Johnson Consulting

is of the opinion this specialization has caused the trending decline in participants per sports (-7.3%

from 2009 to 2014).



Rapid growth of participation in niche sports, which include Roller & Ice Hockey, Rugby, Lacrosse,

and Field Hockey. These sports have seen consistent growth, upwards of 76 percent in participants,

since 2009 and typically require expensive equipment and coaching that may not be available at the

local level.



An increasing trend of inactivity across the United States. In 2015, over 83 million Americans age 6

and older did not participate in a sport. The development of new state-of-the-art complexes is an

attempt not only to provide proper facilities to current athletes, but to attract interest from this

growing segment of inactive participants new to the sport or those who have recently retired.

When analyzing the potential for a multi-purpose facility, the following framework questions should be

considered:

Is there sufficient market demand to support these uses?

What are the demand trends associated with youth sports?

What physical program will the facility be able to support?

Is there a baseline venue starting point that can be developed over time?

This section of our report, along with Section 3, addresses questions 1 and 2, while questions 3 and 4 will be

addressed in the later sections.