Photo by Savannah Schmidt
Club basketball teams play in the National Battle of the Magic City Showcase on Mar. 8, 2025 at the Finley Center in the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.
The Hoover Metropolitan Complex had a record 785,000 visitors in fiscal 2025 and record $101 million economic impact, General Manager Shannon Ealy told the Hoover City Council Monday night.
That means the number of visitors at the complex was 10% higher than it has ever been, and the economic impact was 11% higher, Ealy said. These numbers represent the period from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025.
The main reason for the growth was 12 new events at the complex, five of which were large basketball tournaments at the Finley Center, Ealy said. Attendance at events and tournaments with groups coming from outside Hoover was just under 500,000 people, including:
- 245,000 people at baseball events
- 95,000 at soccer events
- 45,000 at special events, trade shows and meetings
- 32,000 at volleyball events
- 27,000 at basketball events
- 18,000 at softball events
- 16,000 at football events
- 14,000 at mat sports such as cheerleading and wrestling
- 6,000 at lacrosse events
- 2,000 at tennis events
The number of people at events and tournaments with groups coming from outside Hoover was about 40,000 more than in fiscal 2024, Ealy said.
In addition to the 500,000 at those events, about 285,000 “local” people and groups used the Hoover Met Complex as well, including 46,000 for basketball, 42,000 for special events, trade shows and meetings, 40,000 at the Explore Playground and Splash Pad, 35,000 for football, 33,000 for soccer, 19,000 for lacrosse, 16,000 for baseball and softball, 15,000 at the walking track, 11,000 for tennis, 8,000 for pickleball, 5,000 for volleyball, 5, 000 at the Hoover Heights Climbing Center, 2,000 for band, 1,000 for open gym activities, 700 for the summer camp program and 6,000 for other activities.
The Finley Center and multipurpose fields were used 45 of the 52 weekends in the year, while the turf baseball fields were used 43 of the 52 weekends, Ealy said.
The Perfect Game baseball organization had the largest economic impact, with Perfect Game events happening on 30 weekends and generating $25 million in economic impact, Ealy said.
The net operating income for the Met Complex was a record $1.3 million, up from between $1 million to $1.1 million the past three years, he said. Rental revenue was a record $1.9 million, while food and beverage income climbed to a record $1.4 million. Revenues from the RV Park (after 14% taxes were paid) rose to a record $1 million, and sponsorship sales revenue was a record $225,000, Ealy said.
Revenues from the Hoover RV Park should rise this year because rental rates for the SEC Baseball Tournament will be rising from $40 a day to $75 a day, Ealy said. That hopefully will bring in another $30,000 to $40,000, he said. The increase will bring rates at the Hoover RV Park more in line with rates at other facilities in the area and better reflect the demand for the spaces, he said.
The Hoover Met Complex doesn’t actually turn a profit for the city because the city puts several million dollars a year into the facility to help with operations, in addition to annual debt payments. But the big gain is in overall economic impact with people staying in Hoover hotels, eating in Hoover restaurants, buying gas at Hoover gas stations and shopping at Hoover stores.
Usage of the Hoover Met Stadium for revenue-generating activities is only about 12 weekends a year, Ealy said. That’s because usage is limited in the fall due to Hoover High football being there from August to November, and limited usage in the spring to make sure the baseball field is in prime condition for the SEC Baseball Tournament in May, Ealy said.
Council President Casey Middlebrooks thanked Sports Facilities Management, the company that manages the Met Complex for the city, for the job it does each year. Ealy said it’s a joint effort.
“It is really one of the top-producing venues in the country, not just here locally” Ealy said. “We’re sitting on unprecedented success. I think that has a lot to do with the progressive mindset of the city and the infrastructure we have to offer. I really feel like we’re just scratching the surface and have a lot of potential to go yet.”
