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6 East Monroe Street
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Fifth Floor
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Chicago, Illinois 60603
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Phone: 312.447.2010
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Fax: 312.444.1125
www.chjc.comSection 7: Recommendations | May 2017
Sports Market Business Strategy – Morgan Hill, CA
PAGE 102
the City wishes to expand the reach or calendar of events at the Aquatics Center it should be able to do so
through the creation of a DMO that can increase marketing efforts of the Aquatics Center.
2. OUTDOOR SPORTS CENTER
Alternatively, the Outdoor Sports Center is in fair condition, and could benefit from several investment
updates aimed at maintaining the current event portfolio and potentially attracting new events. The inventory
of multipurpose fields in the region is significant and Morgan Hill risks losing events if the facility does not
receive routine maintenance and some investment in the following:
Replace existing FieldTurf
Install FieldTurf at all multipurpose fields
Add lighting for each surface
Consider additional parking
Improve maintenance and day-to-day operations
The recommendations listed above will improve utilization of the facility at the local and regional level. It will
also allow the facility to maintain its current inventory of events and also potentially attract new ones. As
more outdoor sports complexes are built, athletes have more options to consider when selecting a complex
and will typically choose the complex with the best amenities. The last bullet point above is important and
requires further explanation. The facility does a very good job of securing events and thinking outside the box
to fill the calendar with events. The use of the grass fields for Cricket is just one example of identifying a non-
traditional use for the grass fields. During stakeholder meetings, however, we heard several comments
regarding the operations and maintenance at the Outdoor Sports Center, including overall appearance of the
facility and condition of the grass fields. For example, multiple stakeholders informed us that some teams had
withdrawn from past soccer events due to poor/unsafe field conditions. It is possible, however, that the
appearance of the grass fields was due, in part, to the most recent drought experienced through much of
California.
Other areas of improvement should include more frequent routine maintenance, prompt event cleanup and
proper data collection, including attendance figures for events. The competition for hosting events and
attracting users of the facility will grow as more sports complexes are built in the region. Because of the
increased competition, it is important to maintain the facility and operate it in a way that gives users a reason
to return for future events. If event hosts or participants are unsatisfied with the quality of a facility they have
the ability to select a different sports complex in the future. Proper data collection will help a facility like the
OSC understand how it is performing on a year-to-year basis so that if the facility experiences a drop-off in
events or attendance they can identify the issue early on and take necessary steps to correct the decline in
demand.