Idaho dad has $120 million vision to change the youth sports facilities game

As youth sports facilities go, this proposal in a Boise, Idaho suburb is one of a kind

14 artificial turf multi-use fields for baseball, softball, lacrosse, football, and soccer

Eight indoor courts for basketball and volleyball. There will be tennis and pickleball courts, a 5,000-seat stadium, hotels, restaurants

a family entertainment center, and an RV parking lot. Calling David McMenemy's vision ambitious hardly does it justice

especially considering the father of two and Little League coach has no experience turning a $120 million dream into reality

But if he can pull it off, it would change the way communities experience youth sports

Most youth sports megaparks are public-private partnerships, with millions in backing from local and state governments and millions more from commercial developers

The city of CUNA, Idaho donated 20 of the 114 acres proposed for McMinnomy's project

And that's it. Everything else will be paid for by corporate and private donations and potential naming rights deals

It's going to have to be a unique set of donors who step up and say, let's do something different

This is totally a Rudy story. It's just like the least likely, most unassuming person to do this job

So, yes, it's very, it's unique. McMinimi's vision is twofold. He wants to build a high-end complex to attract regional and national tournaments to the area

Youth sports tourism at its finest. A one-stop shop environment that caters to elite youth athletes, leagues, and their families that travel around the country to compete

You're going to bring money into the local economy there. And that exactly what will happen in our region There is nothing like it in the Northwest So we are planning to build hotels and have restaurants so families can enjoy themselves This will likely attract

close to 3 million people a year into this area. So the amount of impressions that a corporate

sponsor is going to get is significant. Counter to those economics is using part of the complex

as a daily community center of sorts, busing kids in for a couple of hours after school

so they can play pickup games with volunteer officials or learn from coaches for free

Most sports complexes, no matter the size, generate income by renting out fields and facilities

for an hourly or daily fee, sometimes in the hundreds of dollars

I think we've over-monetized sports for these kids who are 7, 8 years old going to pitching lessons and lifting

and doing all the stuff to try to get them ahead in their sport

but we're completely missing the most important ingredient, which is, do you love it

McMinemy uses a football ogy to describe his fundraising progress, saying his team is on their own 10 or 15-yard line in terms of raising the full $120 million

But the CUNA City Council has approved commercial zoning for the land

which has already raised its value. He needs that one donor to write a check that will get a shovel into the ground

I think a large corporate sponsor coming in to say, we're behind this. We see this vision. We love youth sports and we love this area. Somebody who's willing to come behind it and say we want to put our name on a building and stand behind the legacy of what this will create. I think we'll invite other sponsors and other donors to say, OK, that water's safe. Let's do it

McMinemy also needs the CUNA City Council to approve the official construction plan

They could vote on that sometime in the fall of 2026. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis