Ripken Baseball has acquired Sports Force Parks at Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Known for creating lifelong family experiences, Ripken Baseball will operate next to one of the world's most acclaimed amusement parks Cedar Point.
Ripken Baseball takes over the operation of Sports Force Parks beginning with the 2023 season, which is underway with more than 50 tournaments on its schedule. The acquisition raises Ripken Baseball’s total number of youth sports complexes to six nationwide.
The announcement confirms Ripken Baseball has expanded into sports beyond baseball and softball for the first time. Sports Force Parks at cedar point sports center includes multi-purpose fields with the capacity of 11 baseball/softball synthetic turf diamonds or eight full-size soccer fields that are convertible to create up to 21 youth soccer fields, in addition to one ADA-accessible field for adaptive sports. The state-of-the-art playing surfaces allow the complex to host baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, and youth football tournaments.
“Adding Sports Force Parks to the Ripken Baseball family is significant on many levels,” says Michael Kenney, CEO of Ripken Baseball. “We now have an opportunity to bring a big league experience to not only baseball and softball, but also soccer, lacrosse, and even football. The proximity of the complex is ideal for families looking for a complete entertainment experience with a world-class amusement park down the road at Cedar Point.”
As part of the acquisition of Sports Force Parks, Ripken Baseball also assumes control of youth baseball tournament operator 17 Tournaments, and travel planner Oakwood Lodging Group. Named after the size of home plate, 17 Tournaments brings youth baseball tournaments to Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ohio. Oakwood Lodging Group creates a seamless experience for youth teams traveling outside their home market to book hotels, flights, and other travel needs efficiently.
“When my late friend, co-founder, and the vision behind Sports Force Parks, Brian Storm, first dreamed of entering the youth sports business, he endeavored to build parks where sports, family, and fun could bring people together,” said Mark Stalnaker, president of Sports Fields, Inc. “The model was built on the strong foundation that Ripken had already established for baseball but also added a variety of other sports such as soccer, softball, and lacrosse. Brian would be thrilled to see the growth opportunities that the industry leader Ripken Baseball can offer to Sports Force Parks employees as they are the backbone of the brand and have made the companies so successful.”
