$70M Henderson Sport & Social to open next month

$70M Henderson Sport & Social set to open next month The $70 million Henderson Sport & Social facility is slated to open next month, although its tournament schedule is already booked through the end of the year. The 180,000‑square‑foot, two‑story complex on Maryland Parkway just south of St. Rose Parkway resulted from a public‑private partnership. The city of Henderson contributed $60 million, while KemperSports provided the remaining $10 million. **Features** The venue houses four full‑size indoor basketball courts that can be reconfigured into eight volleyball courts, plus two hybrid‑turf indoor fields suitable for soccer and flag football. A 30,000‑square‑foot entertainment zone offers 20 bowling lanes, a darts attraction, an arcade and an outdoor miniature‑golf course. Additional amenities include a full‑service restaurant and bar, and flexible event spaces that accommodate gatherings of 25 to 75 people. On the second level, a full gym operates alongside an area for fitness classes and a daycare center. Gym access requires a monthly membership starting at $55, with Henderson residents receiving a 20 percent discount, according to Kayla Morrow, manager of income and selling. The gym’s hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekends. The second level also provides a meeting room and a large balcony for special events and corporate functions. Henderson officials cited the need for a sports‑focused venue capable of hosting tournaments and drawing tourists as the motivation behind the investment. “One of the motivations for the city of Henderson to partner with KemperSports to build this facility is to drive economic impact,” said Jeff Swanlund, general manager of Henderson Sport & Social. “They recognized a huge pent‑up demand in this area. So, we built the facility, and already we’re excited to note that in 2026 we have sold out every weekend for tournaments. Our weekdays will feature local leagues, and those remain open for registration on our website.” **First event** Henderson Sport & Social will launch its inaugural event on Oct. 1 with a large youth basketball tournament, the Border League’s Wooten Classic 150 Classic, Swanlund said. The competition will be broadcast on ESPN and is projected to attract more than 2,000 high‑school basketball players and roughly 1,000 spectators. Coronado High School’s head basketball coach, Jeff Kaufman, helped secure the event for the Henderson site, Swanlund added. “We’re super excited that our exact first event is going to be televised and showcase the new facility,” Swanlund said. “It came about us because the coach of Coronado High School, the basketball coach, is involved with the McDonald’s All‑American Games and then the Border League. He recognized the facility being built and toured it early in the process and said, yes, this is where we need to have this event that’s scheduled to be in the Las Vegas and Henderson area each year.” Coronado lies about two miles from Henderson Sport & Social, and Kaufman said he is eager to bring a marquee competition to the venue to help debut the space. “Henderson is our hometown and it is astonishing to be able to bring the biggest high‑school basketball event of the year to this fantastic new facility,” Kaufman said in an email to the Review‑Journal. “The attention to detail, the size and the large amenities make this much more than a typical gym or community center. This is a new Las Vegas attraction, and we are thrilled to be the first event.” **‘Money‑generating endeavor’** Swanlund noted that combining sports and amusement elements creates the potential for the city and KemperSports to maximize returns on the investment. “A typical recreation center funded by the city costs taxpayers money each year,” he said. “But when you add these additional amenities like the fitness gym and especially the arcade, the bowling, the mini golf and laser tag, the full‑service restaurant and bar, the economics begin to make sense. So, it can be a money‑generating endeavor for the city because it’s a profit share with Kemper Sports and the city of Henderson.” **Still hiring** Approximately 200 staff members will be needed to operate the facility during peak periods, with Henderson Sport & Social still seeking about 100 employees ahead of its opening next month. “So we encourage people to go to our website, www.Hendersportandsocial.com to apply,” Swanlund said. The Wooten Classic tournament will be ticketed, and a public soft opening is scheduled for Oct. 5. The grand opening celebration for Henderson Sport & Social is set for Oct. 16, Swanlund concluded. “That’s when we’re just going to do our grand opening celebration, but you can certainly show up on the fifth,” he said.