Louisville Facility Combines Sports Tourism and Social Justice

When the Louisville Urban League Sports and Learning Campus opened in 2021, it brought a boost to Louisville’s tourism sector by offering state of the art sporting facilities. With a brand-new entrepreneurial space in addition to upcoming events, the sports complex continues to push economic renaissance in the neighborhood. The real story, however, is less about the extraordinary impact of the sports events and more about how the investment in this venue is aiming to transform a previously neglected and primarily Black Louisville neighborhood.

What is it? The campus, built on a languishing industrial brownfield in the city’s West End, a primarily Black community, includes both the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center and Humana Outdoor Track & Field. It also features the only banked indoor track in Kentucky and one of only eight of its kind in the nation. The venues have been a hub of community and sports events since their opening 40% of the investments in the development of the facility went to Black-owned businesses, the largest in the state’s history.

What’s brand new? The Louisville Urban League inaugurated the PNC Entrepreneur Plaza this August, which includes both indoor and outdoor space for pop-up marketplaces. It’s part of a $1 million grant from the PNC Foundation. The new space will provide Black-owned businesses the opportunity to sell their products and services to visitors drawn to the facility for track meets, concerts, and other events. 

What’s been happening? This past spring, the Kentucky Derby held its first ever Block Party at the complex, and looking forward, the University of Louisville will host the city’s first ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships in February 2023. And with national coverage of its events on ESPN in 34 countries and across the U.S., this community investment is helping shine a light on a corner of Louisville that often goes unnoticed by visitors. 

What’s the bigger picture? The diverse and intentional use of the space and its focus on local Black-owned businesses are testaments to the power of this facility for both sports tourism and economic development in West Louisville, one of Louisville’s most underdeveloped neighborhoods. It’s owned by the Louisville Urban League, a nonprofit community service organization seeking to eliminate racism and its impacts. With construction of a new hospital recently announced - the first new hospital in Louisville’s West End in 150 years - the sports complex is proving to be a catalyst for future investment and development in the community.

Some background: West Louisville was a hub of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, but today the neighborhoods here are struggling. The city spearheaded efforts in 2014 alongside community organizers to help address wealth and education disparities, and the sporting complex is one of the most visible investments to date. By bringing athletes from around the nation to West Louisville for competitions, it’s making positive impacts on these neighborhoods through tourism that may otherwise not have seen visitors at all.