$1.2B sports training village may be coming to Las Vegas

A kinesiologist and author who says he has developed a system to help athletes run 20 percent faster has announced plans to build a $1.2 billion, 30-plus-acre athletic training center with 1,000 onsite living units in Southern Nevada.

Z Athlete Factory founder and CEO Zig Ziegler is seeking investors and said he is hopeful that the Z Athlete Village training center and headquarters being relocated from Scottsdale, Arizona, would be built in phases over the next four years and be completed in advance of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The company gave no details about how it intends to finance the project and the exact location of a site.

Ziegler, who says he has worked with more than 100,000 athletes in his more than three-decade career, has used his approach to help more than 90 percent of his athlete clients to improve performance by an average 22.7 percent in less than 10 weeks.

He has worked with basketball stars Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan, tennis stars Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, has consulted with numerous sports teams and has hosted radio talk shows on NBC Sports and ESPN Radio.

Financing, site unclear

“After an extensive evaluation process, Las Vegas emerged as the perfect location for Z Athlete Village,” Ziegler said in a release announcing the company’s relocation. “We are thrilled to announce our relocation and planned launch of Z Athlete Village, a revolutionary hub for athletic training, sports performance and events for competition.”

According to a release, the facility would include the Z Athlete Factory Sports Performance and Technology Center, an artificial intelligence-driven athletic performance enhancement facility; a 390,000-square-foot indoor track and field arena, which Ziegler said would be the world’s largest; a 75,000-square-foot, 2,600-seat aquatics center and natatorium with an indoor Olympic-sized pool and diving center that also would include a 100,000-square-foot area for volleyball, basketball, cheer and court sports; and a 120,000-square-foot cutting-edge Olympics-caliber gymnastics center called the Gymnastics Apex.

Ziegler indicated that since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has considered several prominent sports cities for the training center campus. He said Las Vegas emerged as the top choice due to the city’s “ambitious goal of transforming into the premier sports destination in the world. Las Vegas’ vision aligns perfectly with Z Athlete Factory’s mission to redefine athletic development and performance while inspiring athletes with access to facilities currently available in limited supply on the West Coast.”

Ziegler said he and partners spent the last year evaluating potential land sites on which to develop the training center-resort After nearly purchasing close to 30 acres last summer, the target site has been expanded to include facilities catered towards the Olympic sports. The company has narrowed its options to two potential sites, with the final selection expected to be under contract within the next 30 days.

‘Condotels’

Renderings of the proposed Z Athlete Village show two residential towers, referred to as “condotels” for amateur and professional athletes to reside while in training. Ziegler is seeking real estate investors to acquire residential units for clients.

Zeigler said athletes, coaches, and sports enthusiasts from around the world would have the opportunity to live, train, and compete on the campus.

“Z Athlete Village creates a unique investment opportunity for those looking to be part of the future of sports in Las Vegas,” he said.

Las Vegas has embraced its role as a sports and entertainment hub and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s Lisa Motley, vice president of sports and special events for the LVCVA, said the project can help the city.

“Upon opening, Z Athlete Village and its venues will change the landscape of sports in Las Vegas, paving the way to expand the portfolio of sports programming that the destination can host,” Motley said in a release. “We’re excited to help make this campus a reality.”

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.