The approximately $100 million Frisco project is anchored by Fieldhouse USA, an 11-acre, 144,000 square foot, state-of-the-art athletic facility with 12 full-sized, indoor basketball and volleyball courts; an indoor turf field for soccer, lacrosse, flag and arena football; and 13,200 square feet of retail space. "This is the first project of its kind in Frisco, which is a great market," says RCP investment manager Jared Gossett. "The only existing competition is the Plano Sports Authority, which is about 15 miles to the south. We regard our facility as superior in both its technology and the programs we run through it."

According to Gossett, RCP sees community sports facilities as a very good investment for tough economic times. "Even in a recession, it's hard for parents to cut out their children's athletics," he says. And cities like Frisco, he adds, make the ideal location. "Frisco has more children of preschool age than it has in the entire school system," he notes. "There's a huge pipeline of children that will coming through the system. It's a great driver of demand for this facility."

The RCP exec tells GlobeSt.com the developer is searching for similar markets throughout the US that have a large youth population and rapid residential growth. RCP vice president of communications Kacey Best says another element the two companies consider essential to a successful project is local government participation and backing. In this case, the field house is owned by the City of Frisco and leased to and operated by SVH. The developer plans to divide and sell the remaining village land as pad sites for hotel, retail, restaurant, medical and office use. The company recently signed a 10-year exclusive marketing sponsorship with Coca-Cola to be the exclusive beverage provider for Fieldhouse USA.