- January 8, 2025
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Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, Mickey Mantle’s New York Yankees, Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers and the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s, 60s and 70s all have at least this one thing in common: They are, inarguably, dynasties in their respective sports.
To achieve this level of dominance, these organizations — from the players to coaches, administrators and even the janitors — had to push themselves beyond what the competition was doing. There needed to be a vision that saw what they were doing day to day was building something special, a legacy that would be remembered decades later.
In November 2021, the building blocks of a new sports dynasty began to come together, but this one wasn’t a sports team; in fact, what this concept is goes beyond how to categorize it traditionally.
On paper, The Dynasty | Ocoee is a youth sports complex. In reality, the project’s developer, Montierre Development, is building a 159-acre revolution-in-the-making within the youth sports and sports tourism sectors.
“This project represents more than just a sports complex,” Montierre President Anne-Marie Douglas said. “It’s a testament to our commitment to innovation, engagement of today’s youth, an enhanced family-driven experience, a focus on health and wellness, (and) Ocoee’s legacy, inclusivity, accessibility and community development. We’re building fields and courts that will craft memories, shape futures and redefine what it means to experience sports as a family. The ultimate goal is to create an environment where young athletes thrive, develop resilience, and cultivate a lifelong love for the game.”
To fully capture the scope of The Dynasty, you need to consider it in three ways: As a physical facility, as a strategic business decision and — similar to theme parks — as an experience. Combining these three concepts is what makes this development such an exciting proposition for the group behind it, Ocoee officials and residents of West Orange.
As a collection of physical buildings and spaces, which will be situated on the southeast corner of Ocoee-Apopka and Fullers Cross roads, The Dynasty will first and foremost be the home to a plethora of sports fields and a state-of-the-art indoor facility that aims to predominantly host youth sports tournaments and other athletic events; think ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex. Stretching alongside the fields of play, running parallel to Ocoee-Apopka Road, will be a comprehensive mixed-use pedestrian riverwalk lined with several restaurant, retail and entertainment spaces, which will be open to the public; think Universal’s CityWalk. On the north end of the property, serving as one of the bookends to the sports fields, there will be the larger of two hotels, while the smaller boutique hotel is set to be on the south end of the pedestrian riverwalk. In total, the two hotels will have more than 1,100 rooms.
All together, the construction of this massive, high-end sports, entertainment and lodging complex is estimated to cost $1 billion. After considering the cost and the massive infrastructure undertaking, a natural question arises: Is this going to be a profitable business? That’s why considering The Dynasty as a strategic business decision is vital to understanding it wholly.
The Dynasty’s concept of combining sports event-hosting facilities with other revenue-generating businesses like retail, food and lodging isn’t a new one; just look at Patriot Place, L.A. Live and the upcoming Westcourt development in downtown Orlando, next to the home of the Orlando Magic, the Kia Center. The aspect of this project as a business that needs to be understood is that The Dynasty is the sports and entertainment district concept that focuses on the youth sports and sports tourism markets.
There are two reasons this helps define this development. First is the projected growth of the sector. According to Montierre Development, the sports tourism industry is on the rise — citing projections by Grand View Research that say by 2030, the market could see a compound annual growth rate of 17.5% and its global market value reach more than $2 trillion.
“We anticipate The Dynasty | Ocoee will contribute significantly to the … global sports tourism market,” said Jaime Douglas, Founder and CEO of The Dynasty and Montierre Development. “Our goal is to capture a substantial portion of this growth while providing an exceptional experience for athletes and families alike.”
The other reason brings us to the experiential portion of capturing what’s actually coming to Ocoee, and that is The Dynasty’s target audience: Youth sports, emphasis on the youth.
“Every industry experiences a revolutionary turning point that paves the way for a sustainable future; this is that moment for youth sports,” Jaime Douglas said. “The Dynasty experience will bring convenience, connection and affordability to youth sporting events across the nation, addressing a critical need in the industry. As participation costs and time demands rise, families often face the dilemma of choosing between a family vacation or attending a large-scale sporting event for their child. The Dynasty | Ocoee eliminates this choice by providing an all-in-one experience for the entire family.”
At the core of The Dynasty’s business model, and the answer to the question about this being a viable business, is this simple pitch to the families that make up the youth sports industry: Families can combine their children’s athletic competitions with a family vacation at The Dynasty’s conveniently located facility near the tourist capital of the world’s top attractions.
The experience The Dynasty offers is a dream for youth sports families who have traveled hundreds of miles from home to week-long tournaments in random cities with limited entertainment options. Instead of settling for spending an off-day wandering the local outlet mall and having dinner at a chain restaurant, families have the opportunity to attend their children’s games in the morning, spend the afternoon enjoying theme parks and end their night at one of Central Florida’s almost endless options of restaurants.
Since conversations about this development began, the project originally referred to as the Ocoee Regional Sports Complex has been a highly-anticipated and welcomed idea by both local residents and community leaders for myriad reasons.
“I think that the public at large (is) highly anticipating this project,” Ocoee Commissioner George Oliver III said. “The feedback that I’ve been receiving over the past few years is that we’re waiting on this and we are excited … (for) this project.”
Considering the litany of positives The Dynasty promises to bring to Ocoee — from the impact on the local economy to the access the city will have to the facilities and added entertainment, retail and dining options, to name a few — it’s understandable why folks are excited.
“The vision for The Dynasty | Ocoee is to create a haven where every guest is engaged and embraced in an environment that fosters an appreciation for family, sports, science and fun,” Ocoee City Manager Craig Shadrix said. “Not only will this project create meaningful economic impact for Ocoee and the surrounding areas, but it will also offer health, wellness and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors of Central Florida.”
According to Montierre’s projections, the impact of the development of this facility is expected to contribute more than $540 million to the local economy and generate roughly 10,000 short-term construction jobs and 5,000 permanent jobs.
Along with this massive impact on the local area’s economy, this facility provides locals with a new and incredible recreation option right in their backyard and, according to Jaime Douglas, the city will have access to the athletic facilities when available.
“It’s completely inclusive to local residents,” he said. “There’s no charge for anybody … to come enjoy the complex at any time … to come and feel a part of something. … We’ve (also) made it to where any time there’s not a big event going on, the city of Ocoee is going to have access to the fields and they’re going to have access to the indoor space … we want to make sure the city of Ocoee truly takes advantage of this situation and benefits greatly from it.”
As part of The Dynasty’s commitment to the Ocoee community, Montierre will dedicate an inclusive playground and the 17th Avenue extension to the city for public use.
“The work you (all) have done with the city, the community you guys have built … it brings people here,” Jaime Douglas said. “We love it here, and it’s just such a blessing that we have the opportunity to bring this to you (all).”
