Pending a vote next week by the board of trustees at Palm Beach State College and another during a special March meeting, TMRW Sports is planning to construct a sturdier home for its new TGL initiative after its initial domed structure was damaged during a power outage in November.
According to a story in the Sports Business Journal, TMRW intends to construct a new SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, that will be buttressed by insulated steel walls and a steel-supported roof. The 14,000 square-metre venue will reportedly be able to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The previous air-supported stadium was rated to withstand a Category 4 storm.
TGL’s domed stadium collapsed on November 14 when a severe storm caused a power outage, resulting in significant damage to the dome and forcing postponement of the inaugural season of the tech-based golf league that was to begin in January and televised by ESPN.
TMRW Sports was founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, a former president of Golf Channel and NBC Sports.
“TMRW Sports was pleased to have the opportunity to provide an update on its plan for constructing the upgraded venue using improved design elements and materials,” a TMRW spokesman told SBJ. “The college is performing their duty and asking the right questions as part of a standard due diligence process.
“Our aim is to create a venue that the college and Palm Beach communities, as well as our fans and partners, will enjoy visiting for years to come. This is part of the process, and we are appreciative of both our wide-ranging partnership with Palm Beach State College and their agreement to create a special March meeting date ahead of their regularly scheduled meeting on April 16.”
TMRW Sports co-founder McCarley made a presentation to Palm Beach State’s board of trustees in February seeking to amend its lease with the college and asked for the special March meeting for final approval in hopes that TMRW could initiate construction soon afterwards in time for a January 2025 start to TGL.
Among the investors in TGL is the Fenway Sports Group, which is backing one of the six TGL teams, Boston Common Golf, and whose roster includes McIlroy. Fenway is part of the Strategic Sports Group, which recently pledged to invest up to $US3 billion in a new for-profit entity created with the PGA Tour called PGA Tour Enterprises.
