CLERMONT, Fla. – The Amateur Athletic Union Florida regional district announced a new events center will be coming to Clermont’s Olympus Event Center.
The yet-to-be-built 250-acre Olympus campus was announced last year and will be located near the Lake Louisa State Park in Lake County.
Officials said there will be a three-phase plan to complete the Olympus campus, which is expected to begin later this year.
“This development is very important for businesses,” said David Colby, president of the South Lake Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve become a center for sports and wellness here in South Lake County and this helps create even more good paying jobs here in the community.”
When completed, the Olympus campus is expected to offer a year-round schedule of amateur, college and “elite events,” on-site hospitality and entertainment and an Athlete Center and Performance Institute as the centerpiece, according to a news release from Olympus.
“Olympus is creating the most impressive environment for athletes, fans and the community, and we are thrilled to be a part of it,” said Kim Fessler, the governor of AAU Florida. “To think that we can now host, for example, the largest volleyball event in the world at Olympus – with on-property hotels and entertainment, and a special Performance Institute for the athletes – is just beyond exciting.”
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The Olympus Event Center, supported by the AAU Florida regional district, is a planned 100,000-square-foot indoor facility that will celebrate, “Sports For All, Forever” and will be located in the Olympus campus. It is scheduled to open late 2025, officials said.
It is expected to feature basketball, volleyball, martial arts, cheer, pickleball, climbing, indoor soccer, baseball and softball (pitching and hitting), as well as AAU offices, retail pavilions and cafés.
AAU, which bills itself as one of the largest, multi-sport event organizations in the world, was founded in 1888 and its national office is currently headquartered in Lake Buena Vista. It currently boasts 700,000 members, according to the release.
“The aim of our partnership with AAU is to support and enhance the athlete’s journey and dedication, while at the same time creating a place filled with exciting experiences in a location that is truly special and unique in the whole world,” said Matt Carroll, Olympus’ senior advisor of sports development.
According to the release, the sports campus will also feature an international soccer center with a 3,500-seat soccer stadium and multiple soccer fields, a 4.5-mile trail system for triathlon and other events, a beach volleyball pavilion, an Ice Center with ice pads for ice hockey and figure skating and the largest authentic red-clay tennis court center in the country.
“Olympus continues to be a catalyst promoting growth and innovation in the Wellness Way area and, more broadly, Central Florida,” said Sean M. Parks, Lake County commissioner. “We are thrilled that Olympus and AAU are working to deliver this exciting Fieldhouse & Event Center in the heart of Wellness Way.”
In addition to the sports campus and AAU center, plans for Olympus include a 5,800-seat, multi-purpose arena that will serve as a home for Central Florida professional and amateur sporting events, concerts, performing arts and conventions.
“We look forward to welcoming AAU to the Olympus community and destination, and to the Clermont-Wellness Way area,” said Brian Bulthuis, Clermont city manager. “With today’s announcement, Clermont is truly solidifying its reputation nationally as the ‘Choice of Champions.’”
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