New Operator Takes Over At The Sports Campus! 

Sports Facilities Companies Studying Parking & Other Improvements At Popular Wiregrass Ranch Facility 

The lobby was packed at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus on Sept. 20 for a 100-team AAU volleyball tournament. (Photo by Charmaine George)

 It’s only been roughly two months since Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) received the contract with Pasco County to manage the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, but the Clearwater-based company that manages dozens of similar facilities across the country is already taking action to make improvements to what has been called the “crown jewel” of sports attractors to Florida’s Sports Coast, also known as the Pasco County Tourism Department. 

Although we have yet to be able to sit down and actually chat with any of SFC’s upper management, SFC partner Ashley Whitaker did respond to all of my questions about SFC’s plans for the Sports Campus by email — and it’s obvious from those answers that this company definitely knows how to manage facilities like these and, as Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter recently told me, “the county made the right choice when they chose [SFC].” 

Checking Back In 

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been back at the Sports Campus. As you readers know, my wife (and sales manager) Jannah was the director of sales and marketing under the previous operator RADDSports, which had its contract bought out by the Pasco County back in 2023, after the County Commission voted to default RADDSports and RADD sued Pasco County. 

The county then opted to manage the facility itself, even though Pasco’s agreement with Wiregrass Ranch was that the county was never allowed to operate the facility. 

But, that’s all water under the bridge now, as SFC has already made a number of important moves — with more still to come. 

Below is my email discussion with Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) partner Ashley Whittaker (photo, right & “AW “in Q&A below), who leads SFC’s in-house marketing and branding “agency.” 

I appreciate Ashley’s candid answers to my many questions about SFC’s plans for the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, now that the company has a little less than two months of manging the facility under its belt. 

For those who are unaware, SFC has developed and/or managed nearly 100 sports facilities across the country, making it one of the leaders in this industry. — GN 

Partner Ashley Whittaker of Sports Facilities Companies is excited about the full slate of activities happening at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus and SFC’s role in bringing improved parking, new events and amenities to the sports campus in the future. (Photo of Ashley Whittaker from SportsFacilities.com)

GN – Does SFC now have its own management on-site at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus (WRSC)? 

AW – SFC has been fortunate to inherit the hardworking staff at WRSC, and we are aligning them with our industry leading standards in all departments, integrating with our support center in Clearwater. 

GN-Is SFC retaining all of the existing employees at the Sports Campus or have you been deciding on a case-by-case basis which of those employees you will retain? 

AW-All existing employees of WRSC were offered the opportunity to remain with the venue under SFC management. 

GN-How many weekend events are already on the books at the Sports Campus for the rest of 2025? 

AW-Along with the Florida’s Sports Coast DMO (Destination Management Organization), we have a robust schedule and are looking forward to a great fall season with events both inside and outside on the new grass fields throughout the end of the year every weekend. 

(Photo of AAU volleyball at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus by Charmaine George) 

GN-Are there any weekends available this year for your company to book your own events? If not, when will SFC be able to start adding new weekend events? 

AW-With such a full calendar, there are few weekends available for any additional events. When we do have availability, events (including SFC ones) will be selected on merit for the benefit of the community. 

GN-Will you be continuing the local programming that’s currently in place or will SFC be replacing that programming with programs of its own? If so, what programs will you change/add? 

AW-Yes, we will be continuing with the local programming. The only change will be how parents register for the programming through enhanced software. 

GN-I know the county said that SFC will be conducting a study to see how additional parking can be configured at that site and that it will take up to six months for you to conclude that study, but when will the study actually begin (or has it already)? 

This isn’t just a view of the adjacent Residence Inn, it’s also one of the current grass-&-gravel overflow parking lots for the Sports Campus.

AW-Yes, the study is under way. In addition to parking, we are also exploring the feasibility of indoor and outdoor complimentary amenities. The study is under way and will be reviewed with the county in November/ December timeframe. 

GN-Is there anywhere at the Sports Campus site where you can see being able to expand the existing parking? 

AW-We are exploring with Pasco County the opportunity to enhance parking at the Sports Campus. 

GN-Have you now spoken with JD Porter and/or Scott Sheridan of Locust Branch/Wiregrass Ranch? Can you tell me anything about that (or those) discussion(s)? 

AW-Yes, we have engaged in conversations with JD Porter and Scott Sheridan and look forward to being great neighbors and community partners. 

GN-Have you been in contact with the Peachtree Group about the Residence Inn that shares the site? Can you tell me anything about that discussion? 

AW-We have hosted specific meetings introducing ourselves to the hotel community and also presented to local business owners at the request of Florida’s Sports Coast DMO. 

GN-Is there any way to do a live interview with you, your partner Eric Sullivan or someone else from SFC — at the Sports Campus or at the North Tampa Bay Chamber office for my new podcast? Even if it needs to be much further into the future, an actual interview is much more personal and will be better received by my readers (because I also will do a story about it in print) and podcast viewers. 

AW-This is possible to be scheduled sometime in the future. 

Pasco BCC Approves New Sports Campus Operator!

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted 4-1 to approve Clearwater-based Sports Facilities Companies (SFC) as the new management company to operate the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus (WRSC), which has been managed by Pasco’s Parks & Recreation Dept. since the county agreed to buy out the contract of WRSC’s previous operator (RADDSports) in June of 2023.

Under the newly approved agreement with SFC, which manages 90 sports facilities throughout the U.S., the county will pay SFC $750,000 — an initial financial commitment of $500,000, which Florida’s Sports Coast’s deputy director of tourism Consuelo Sanchez called “bridge funding to offset potential revenue shortfalls,” plus a “Management fee” of $18,000 per month “paid of the Operating Account (account managed by SFC, which serves as the central fund to collect facility revenue and disburse expenses) and “Up to $250,000 for Facility Floor Resurfacing Reimbursement,” since the Sports Campus’ “gym floors have never been resurfaced since the facility opening in 2020. This necessary upgrade must be completed regardless of facility management to ensure athlete safety, event eligibility and competitive standards.” 

District 5 Pasco Commissioner Jack Mariano raised the question of whether or not SFC was planning to provide additional parking for the Sports Campus, which already has a huge lack of proper available parking, even though nothing in the agreement the commissioners approved mentions parking. Sanchez, however, said that SFC does plan to conduct a parking feasibility study “which they have six months to complete.” SFC founding partner Eric Sullivan, who also appeared at the meeting, confirmed that SFC is planning to conduct the study and noted, “That we know additional parking is needed at the facility.” Pasco Parks & Rec Dept. director Keith Wiley said that it appears that the only available space for more parking at the facility is located north of the 98,000-sq.-ft. indoor gym, which already is north of the five outdoor fields. 

The resolution passed 4-1, with Mariano’s the only “Nay” vote because of the parking concerns.

Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter, who attended the meeting, but was not asked to speak, told the Neighborhood News after the meeting, “We are very pleased with the approval by the Board of the outside operator. From our conversations and research, they [SFC] seem more than capable of running the facility as the donation agreement outlines as an upper echelon sports tourism facility. We look forward to [SFC] raising the bar of the tournaments and tax dollars brought into Pasco County.”

More details of the new management agreement will be provided in the July 8 edition of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News.