[00:00:02]
YAY.TODAY WAS THE RIBBON CUTTING AND HAD A GREAT DAY.
IT'S A FACILITY THAT'S GONNA BE ABLE TO SERVICE A LOT OF DIFFERENT SPORTS FOR, FOR YOUTH TRAVEL.
IT'S GONNA BRING A, A LOT OF, UH, TOURISM INTO THE COMMUNITY, UH, AND AND BUILDING AN EXPERIENCE THAT ARE, ARE GONNA BE AN ATTRACTIVE DRAW FOR, FOR TEAMS AND FAMILIES FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THIS PLACE IS ABOUT TO BECOME THE MECCA OF SPORTS TOURISM IN THE GREATER NEW ORLEANS AREA.
THIS AREA IS GOING TO BE THE HOTTEST AREA IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
IT'S GOING TO BE IDEAL FOR WORK, STAY IN PLAY.
WE KNEW FROM THE BEGINNING WE HAD TO REALIZE THE POTENTIAL OF THIS PLACE AND THAT WE WANTED TO BE ON THE NATIONAL GAME, NOT LOCAL.
AND THAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE HERE IN BRINGING IN BAYOU NATION.
THIS IS GREAT FOR THE ENTIRE REGION.
I VISITED WITH NEW ORLEANS AND COMPANY A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND I SAID, WATCH THE BALL FIELDS THAT WE BUILD OVER THERE.
YOU'RE GETTING MONEY IN YOUR ECONOMY FROM THE PEOPLE WE'RE BRINGING IN TO JEFFERSON PARISH FROM THESE FIELDS.
I FEEL LIKE WE OWN LAND FOR A LONG TIME AGO, AND WE REALIZED WE ARE ON TOP OF OIL.
THAT'S HOW I FEEL FOR SPORTS TOURISM IN JEFFERSON PARISH.
TRAVEL BALL IS A FAMILY AFFAIRS.
OUR VISION IS THAT NOT ONLY THE PLAYERS COME, OF COURSE HERE COMES THE MOM, AUNT, THE UNCLE, GRANDMOTHER, AND AS THE PARISH PRESIDENT TALKED ABOUT.
AND THEY COME IN AND IT HELPS THE ECONOMY IN THIS AREA.
THEY'LL GO ON OUR SWAMP TOURS, THEY'LL GO TO OUR RESTAURANTS, THEY'LL STAY IN OUR HOTELS.
THEY'LL PLAY GOLF AT A WORLD CLASS GOLF FACILITY.
WE HAD NOT FAR, UH, FROM HERE AT THE MOMENT, THERE'S FOUR FULL SIZE, UH, WHAT WE CALL MULTI-SPORT FIELDS.
THEY CAN CONVERT INTO DIFFERENT KINDS OF SPORTS.
SO WE CAN ACCOMMODATE SOCCER OUT HERE.
WE CAN ALSO CONVERT EACH OF THE MULTI-PURPOSE FIELDS INTO TWO 12 U BASEBALL OR 18 U SOFTBALL FIELDS.
SO THAT WOULD GIVE US A TOTAL OF EIGHT OF THOSE KINDS OF FIELDS AS WELL.
WE CAN ALSO ACCOMMODATE RUGBY AND LACROSSE.
THEY'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT TURF, SO WE, UH, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT THE WEATHER DOWN HERE IN TERMS OF RECOVERING WHEN A A SHOWER COMES THROUGH, THEN WE'VE GOT PROBABLY THE BEST LIGHTING I'VE EVER SEEN, AND ESPECIALLY IN A YOUTH FACILITY.
BUT THIS COMPLEX REPRESENTS A $45 MILLION INVESTMENT IN THE COMMUNITY.
AN INVESTMENT THAT BRINGS SPORTS TOURISM TO AVONDALE WMAN.
THIS COMPLEX IS ABOUT OPPORTUNITY.
IT WILL SERVE BOYS AND GIRLS FROM ACROSS THE REGION.
YOU'LL STAND AS A FLAGSHIP DESTINATION FOR TRAVEL BASEBALL IN THE SOUTH.
IT REALLY IS CRITICAL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN TO BOTH HAVE A TEAM SPORT AND TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR FAMILY.
AND THIS OBVIOUSLY PROMOTES, UH, BOTH OF THOSE.
OUR VERY FIRST EVENT THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE OUT HERE IS GONNA BE ON THE WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 21ST.
UH, THAT'S GONNA BE A SEVEN ON SEVEN FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT.
UH, WE'RE EXPECTING PROBABLY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 80 TO A HUNDRED TEAMS OUT HERE FOR THAT EVENT.
AND THEN THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND, FEBRUARY 28TH, UH, IS GONNA BE OUR FIRST BASEBALL TOURNAMENT OUT HERE.
THERE'S GONNA BE 60 TEAMS THAT'LL BE OUT HERE FOR THAT TOURNAMENT.
AND WE'VE GOT SEVERAL TOURNAMENTS THE REST OF THE SPRING BASICALLY THAT'S, THAT'S ALREADY, UH, SPOKEN FOR AND BOOKED.
AND I THINK IT'S JUST THE BEGINNING, OBVIOUSLY.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.