The Indianapolis Colts are at Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield this month preparing for another season as the city is simultaneously preparing for Grand Park’s future.
Westfield is in the middle of a process to identify a potential buyer or public-private partner to operate the city’s 400-acre sports campus. Bids from companies that previously told the city they were interested in Grand Park are due Aug. 8.
Although a new owner or operator of Grand Park could have an impact on the sports campus in the future, it will not affect the location of Colts training camp for the coming years, spokespersons for the team and the city confirmed to IndyStar.
In 2017, the Colts announced the team would hold training camp at Grand Park and pay Westfield $653,000 over 10 years.
“The Colts have a comprehensive contract with the Westfield Redevelopment Commission through 2027, and we would expect that agreement to continue notwithstanding the outcome of the RFP process,” Steve Campbell, vice president of communications for the Indianapolis Colts, wrote in an email to IndyStar.
The Colts first hosted training camp at Grand Park in 2018 with a one-year hiatus in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Colts training camp was previously in Anderson.
The 2022 training camp began July 27. Between opening day and Aug. 4, nearly 18,645 people visited Grand Park, according to statistics provided by the city of Westfield. That number is expected to rise. Free tickets to the Sunday Aug. 7 practices sold out, the Colts announced Aug. 1.
“To our little city, it’s a huge deal,” Westfield Mayor Andy Cook said in a video on the city’s YouTube page.
Training camp runs through Aug. 25.
More:Going to Colts training camp at Grand Park? Schedule, dates, tickets, where to eat and more
Grand Park bidding process
The future of Grand Park has been a talking point in the city for nearly six months.
In March, the Westfield Redevelopment Commission released a request for proposals seeking businesses interested in purchasing or entering a public-private partnership with the city to operate Grand Park.
More:Westfield is looking for a buyer for $49M Grand Park Sports Campus, $26M events center
By April 1, nearly 20 companies met an initial deadline informing the city of their interest in the sports campus. Those companies had until Aug. 8 to submit a bid on the property.
Two independent appraisals of Grand Park set $85 million as the minimum price the city could accept on a sale of the sports campus. The city estimated Grand Park’s value at just shy of $204 million in the request for proposals.
After Aug. 8, a city review committee will examine bids and provide recommendations to the Westfield Redevelopment Commission and the Westfield City Council on next steps.
The commission and council will then vote on whether Grand Park will have a new owner or operator. The two groups could also decide not to sell the sports campus.
Grand Park opened in 2014. The $49 million sports campus is home to 31 soccer fields, 26 baseball diamonds and other buildings. A $26 million, 378,000-square-foot indoor event center opened in 2016.
