When Championship Sports’ current contract to organize league and tournament play at the Mike Jacob Sportspark ends Dec. 31, the heavily used facility will close completely for at least one month.
That’s because Championship recently rejected the county’s offer of a month-to-month lease arrangement while up to $1 million of repairs are conducted and a new, sole operator is sought.
Lou Ciurca, the company’s CEO, said such a deal was unworkable, as leagues and tournaments are difficult to organize when there is uncertainty about whether the lease would be renewed each month.
Chris Cawein, director of county parks and recreation, which oversees the county-owned property near Interstate 10 and Ina Road, said that in January the county will first audit the property to determine which repairs to prioritize and carry some of them out. While the county seeks a new operator, Cawein's department will allow leagues and other groups to organize tournaments and events through special use permits, something he hopes will be up and running by the spring.
Earlier this month, the board of supervisors approved spending up to $1 million on that work, funds that will come from Arizona Department of Transportation’s purchase of nearby rights-of-way for the Ina Road Interchange project.
