As city officials prepare to open the Greenwood Fieldhouse later this year, the city park board approved extensive plans to start selling corporate branding partnerships.
The City of Greenwood is in the throes of a $9 million fieldhouse project, renovating the former middle school’s gymnasium on Madison Avenue so it can serve as an anchor for the city and future development of the site.
Plans for the fieldhouse include an elevated indoor running and walking track, batting cages, two multi-purpose turf fields, which can be used for sports like soccer or lacrosse, two gymnasiums for basketball or volleyball courts, several indoor pickleball courts and a golf simulator.
“It’s going to be a gem,” parks director Rob Taggart said Wednesday during the Greenwood Park Board meeting.
Taggart presented a detailed draft of the plans and prices for private branding partnerships at the fieldhouse. The draft outlines partnerships that range from one to 10 years, and includes the amount of signage each partner will have and the benefits it will get.
Essentially, the plan is to have every section of the fieldhouse branded with partners, from the turf fields to the golf simulator, Taggart said.
Corporate partnerships are important to establish equity in the community, he said. Other parks department facilities, such as the community center and Freedom Springs, already heavily utilize partnerships with local businesses and corporations.
The sponsorships help lower the costs of maintenance, programs, memberships and day passes, Taggart said.
“This is about upping our game. We’re not that small parks department anymore,” he said. “This is also about strengthening our public-private partnerships.”
The largest partner at the fieldhouse will be the exclusive facility presenting partner. The 10-year partnership comes with a $50,000 price tag. The partner gets banners, logo impressions and other signage throughout the fieldhouse, and is included in radio ads for the facility. Additional perks include two free buyouts for the company, allowing it to rent any amenity for for up to four hours, 100 day passes and 20% off memberships.
Exclusive naming partnerships are also available for all the large sections of the fieldhouse, such as the main and auxiliary gyms, both turf fields and the walking tracks. The prices for those range from $8,000 to $12,000 for five years, and include logo placements on the floors and digital banners. Similar additional perks are also available.
“These (partnerships) are for what you call the ‘big fish.’ Your bigger companies, maybe corporations here within the city or around the county,” Taggart said.
There are smaller partner spots available, too. The short one- to two-year partnerships cost between $900 and $1,500 each year.
Taggart did not have details on any potential partners, he said. When the time comes, potential partners will be reviewed by the parks department, mayor’s office and park board.
“We have the best outreach in the community, so it makes sense for us to embrace this,” Taggart said. “I don’t know of too many parks going to this level of putting effort into their partnerships.”
