Building More Than Just Fields
Here in Reno, sports aren’t just weekend games. They’re community anchors, youth development platforms, tourism drivers—and now the plan is getting bigger. Jacobs Entertainment is stepping up with a bold vision: 12 new youth sports fields in the heart of downtown.
We’re talking soccer, lacrosse, travel tournaments, local leagues—flat-fields where kids, families and visitors all converge.
The Project At A Glance
- The location: in the core of downtown Reno, close to the company’s flagship resort property.
- The scale: 12 full fields over several years, with a first phase opening with 4 fields by summer 2026.
- The game mix: Designed to accommodate youth sports layouts like 7-on-7 and 9-on-9 soccer/lacrosse for younger age groups, and full sizes later on.
- The audience: Locals + visiting teams. Growing tournament traffic. Families. Youth sports associations.
- The goal: Add flat-field inventory where the region currently lacks it. Create a year-round destination for youth sports. Boost downtown hotel stays, local spending, and the urban experience.
Why It’s Important for Reno
Tackling a Field Shortage
In the Reno/Truckee Meadows region, the supply of flat, tournament-ready fields has lagged behind population growth. This plan helps fill that gap.
Reviving Downtown’s Life & Use
Downtown Reno is shifting. By adding youth fields near the resort/hospitality core, the project layers daytime activity, families, sports weekends—not just nights out.
A Tourism & Local Economy Boost
Travel-tournament weekends mean hotel rooms, restaurant-visits, retail spending. For downtown to host 25-30 youth sports weekends per year is a meaningful economic signal.
Youth & Community Benefits
Kids gain accessible fields. Families gain activities. Local youth sports programs deepen. The investment isn’t just commercial—it touches community health, social cohesion, youth development.
What The First Phase Looks Like
- Four fields are slated to open in summer 2026.
- Those fields initially will serve younger kids: 7-on-7 for under-10, 9-on-9 for 12 & under.
- Some land is already owned near the resort property and adjacent streets.
- Over the following 6 years, the additional eight fields will roll out.
- There’s also mention of a new youth association being formed to support the initiative.
Key Considerations & What We Should Watch
Turf vs. Grass
There’s internal debate. Artificial turf is preferred now because of maintenance costs and the dry Reno climate. But some local leaders are urging consideration of real grass—especially near the local river corridor—for environmental and community rough-use benefits.
Operational Phasing & Use
Keeping momentum, staying on schedule, and opening initial fields with tournaments will set the tone. How quickly the full 12 fields come online matters.
Long-Term Operations
Fields need ongoing maintenance, scheduling, lighting, parking, adjacent amenities (restrooms, concessions). The plan needs to stand for decades, not just open with fanfare.
Community Integration
Ensuring the fields integrate with downtown life (not just tucked away). Access, safety, transport, local league access and tournament traffic—these all count.
Measuring Success
How many tournaments? How many teams? How many hotel rooms booked? How many local youth get field time? Success is more than built fields—it’s usable, vibrant use.
What This Means For Stakeholders
For youth sports leagues: more field time, new turf, tournaments accessible in downtown.
For families: easier access, new weekend-destinations, more youth sport choices.
For downtown businesses: see increased daytime activity, family foot traffic, sports weekends translating into hotel and hospitality use.
For Reno’s future: this is a marker of shifting urban-sports strategy—city centers hosting youth sport anchors, not just park suburbs.
Why You Should Care
Even if you’re not in Reno, the model here is valuable:
- Urban sports fields as downtown activators.
- Youth sports as tourism infrastructure.
- Private-development + public-good hybrid.
- Long-term planning for youth, families and destinations in one move.
Here’s to watching a downtown transform—not just by rooftops and restaurants—but by the laughter of kids, echoes of games, and the whir of tournament weekends shaping community life.