Reclaiming First

Reclaiming First is a community-wide comprehensive plan developed in 2010 to enhance and enlarge Rockford Park District sports facilities to reclaim the region's dominance in sports tourism. Regional sports tourism had been in decline since 2007. Tournament volume was falling at roughly 11% per year. Outdoor fields lacked artificial turf and lighting. Recurring flooding at Sportscore One caused one tournament to relocate and threatened others. The region had no indoor hard-court venue capable of hosting basketball or volleyball tournaments, which had cost the region key partners. Competitors were building ahead.

Reclaiming First documented the problem and proposed a solution in the form of two capital projects:

1. Conversion of the former Ingersoll building in downtown Rockford into an indoor hard-court facility (Sports Factory)

2. Turf field and lighting addition, stadium improvements, and indoor sports center expansion at Sportscore Two in Loves Park

Construction was funded through a multi-jurisdictional partnership designed to minimize reliance on local property taxes. Approximately 70% of funding was derived from non-local sources, including over $15 million in state and federal grants. A countywide 2% hotel tax, enabled by SB1859 and approved by 97.6% of the county’s taxable base, anchored the revenue stream. The Winnebago County Regional Tourism Facility Board (WCRTFB) was established to oversee those proceeds.

These projects were completed in 2016 and 2017, and have helped the Rockford region retain, regain, and grow sports tourism in an increasingly competitive market vying for sports tourism dollars as well as provide world class amateur sports facilities for area residents.