The Lake County Board of County Commissioners, Visit Lake and The Florida Region of USA Volleyball are hosting a groundbreaking ceremony of The Hickory Point Beach Athletics Center. The event, which is open to the public, will be held at 10 am on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 27341 State Road 19, Tavares.
The $1.8 million facility, fully funded through Lake County’s Tourist Development Tax, will support Florida’s largest permanent sand volleyball complex, soccer fields, fishing docks and nature trails at the Hickory Point Recreational Complex on Lake Harris in Tavares. The Athletics Center includes a clubhouse, locker rooms, meeting space, training room, officials’ room, concessions and public restrooms. It is designed to attract additional tournaments to Lake County and increase sports tourism in the area.
“We are extremely excited about the groundbreaking of the Athletics Center at the Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball Complex,” said Steven Clenney, manager of Sports Development of the Office of Visit Lake. “This multi-functional space will provide a great amenity to the growing list of championship events hosted here and the visiting athletes from around the world. We thank the Lake County Water Authority for their support and partnership and we applaud the success of the Florida Region of USA Volleyball for making this the best competition beach volleyball complex in the country.”
Steve Bishop, Executive Director/President of Florida Region of USA Volleyball, Inc., said the new Athletics Center at Hickory Point Beach will be a game changer for the complex.
“We will be able to build on the momentum established since the sand volleyball complex opened and enhance our future local, regional, national and international events,” he said. “This building will set our venue apart from all others in the country. The support and shared vision by Lake County staff and the Lake County Board of County Commissioners has been extraordinary. We are humbled by their trust in our organization and we will continue to produce top-notch events that will positively impact the local area and all of Lake County.”
The Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball Complex opened in 2014 and was made possible through a partnership between Lake County, the Florida Region of USA Volleyball and the Lake County Water Authority.
For more information, contact the Office of Visit Lake at 352-742-3918.
