Image Source: SFC Art Department
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Typically, being stuck between a rock and a hard place isn’t an ideal location. But The Podium Powered By STCU, in Spokane has been defining sports in the region since opening in December 2021.
The 135,000-square-foot facility features the only hydraulic banked indoor track west of the Mississippi, making it a standout venue in a region of the United States already renowned for its track and field history.
According to Spokane Sports, the city’s sports commission’s, most recent data, sporting events hosted at The Podium in 2023 generated a total economic impact of $71 million, (including $18.9 million in total labor income), supported 446 part-time and full-time jobs, and generated $6.4 million in state and local tax revenues. Of the 91,000 hotel rooms attributed to Spokane Sports, 77,000 (85 percent) were from events at The Podium. Results from a 2024 economic impact are pending, but will almost surely reflect continued growth.
“Sports tourism injects millions of dollars into our local economy through increased spending at hotels, restaurants, retail, entertainment, and transportation,” says Ashley Blake, executive director of Spokane Sports.
As is often the case in the sports tourism world, the success of The Podium can’t be traced on a straight line. In fact, the road to opening The Podium saw several challenges before Spokane Sports and the Spokane Public Facilities District, a municipal corporation created in 1989 to spur sports venue development, found its footing with this project.
The residents of Spokane have a history of being skeptical about allocating public funds to large sports-related projects, dating back to efforts to place the Spokane Coliseum four decades ago.
“There’s so many times that this project was on a lifeline,” says Blake.
That said, Spokane Sports and city leadership knew a state-of-the-art sports-specific facility in downtown was necessary to attract world-class events.
The Spokane Convention Center, one of several venues owned and operated by the Spokane Public Facilities District, still hosts USA Volleyball championships and other competitions, but its primary purpose is to house business meetings and special events. The Podium would create a true events campus, allowing multiple venues to be used simultaneously. For advocates of the project, this indicated that the venue be worth the $53 million price tag.
Launching the project, involved several key steps. First was determining the optimal path for developing a facility that met Spokane Sports’ definition of success. To do so, the organization partnered with The Sports Facilities Companies (SFC), a longtime leader in the planning, development, and management of youth and amateur sports venues, to develop a strategic plan that identified the steps necessary to develop a feasible project. In building this plan, SFC conducted a thorough analysis of the market and demographic conditions of the region, as well as financial and operational data from comparable facilities and communities. This helped Spokane Sports determine the facility concept that gave them the best opportunity to meet their goals.
As a neutral, third party, SFC had the credibility to give the project’s champions a strong leg to stand upon when this project was being debated, explains Blake.
“SFC is widely regarded as one of the leading firms in the industry, with an exceptional depth of knowledge in facility design and development,” said Blake. “Its contribution to our project included crucial validation, effectively aligning the facility with our market needs. Additionally, it developed detailed operational plans and roadmaps to guide us toward sustained success.”
This analysis proved critical when attaining funding. A unique financing plan was developed involving the partnership of the Spokane Public Facilities District (SPFD), the state of Washington, the city of Spokane, Spokane County, Spokane Parks, and the Spokane Hotel/Motel Association. Funding came from bonds sold by Spokane County, the city of Spokane, the state of Washington, an existing tax, Public Facilities District reserves, and a land donation from the Parks Foundation. Importantly, local taxes were not increased to pay for the construction and operations of the facility.
It’s been off the races ever since.
“The addition of The Podium has been a game changer for our market and played a significant role in our ability to draw global competitions,” says Blake.
The Pacific Northwest is unquestionably the country’s hotbed for track and field events.
Eugene, Oregon, known as “Tracktown USA,” hosts the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials every four years and is the only American destination to host the World Athletics Championships. Portland, Oregon, hosted the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships at its convention center.
Spokane has quickly established it belongs in the same category as the other Pacific Northwest destinations.
As proof of the vacuum, The Podium fills in the western U.S., it was awarded the 2022 USA Track and Field Indoor Championships long before it opened. The championship, held mere months after the facility debuted, proving the facility was capable of hosting signature events.
“Once we made that press announcement, all of our other bids fell into place,” Blake says. “It added clout and respect out of the gate, and it really gave us an upper hand.”
Organizations utilizing the facility for their championship meets include the Western Athletic Conference, the Pacific Northwest Sports Federation, and the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference. The NCAA has awarded its 2027 Division III indoor track and field championships and 2028 Division II indoor track and field championships to The Podium.
“The Division II Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Committee is excited to bring the 2028 championships to Spokane,” says Donisha Carter, assistant director of championships and alliances at the NCAA, and the event planner for the DII meet. “Hosting the championship on the West Coast presents a welcome opportunity to engage student-athletes, coaches, and fans in a new region and showcase the excellence of Division II track and field.
Indoor track is so important to The Podium that it has dubbed its racing months as “The Fifth Season”—as in Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Fast.
Blake says the facility has sparked a surge in high school indoor track meets that prove to be valuable business for The Podium and Spokane at large. For example, the venue hosts the Spokane High School Invitational each January, attracting more than 1,000 athletes from nine different states. Organizers say there are over 100 runners in the 200-meter dash alone. The economic impact from that one event alone is in the millions of dollars.
In total, Spokane hosts an impressive 12 indoor meets annually before converting the facility to a venue for other sports. The timing of the meets is important, as Blake notes winter events “drive revenue to our market when our city needs it the most.”
The Podium, like the convention center and other downtown facilities, is situated within a half-mile of 3,000 hotel rooms and dozens of local restaurants, shops, and other businesses, making it convenient for participants and spectators to enjoy the city in their free time.
“Bringing world-class sports events to Spokane is essential for our tourism industry,” says Blake.
Geography isn’t the only element that sets The Podium apart from other indoor track venues. It is the only facility capable of layering flooring over the track to make room for other sports in different seasons.
Using the “Fast” season as a model, facility operators aim to align events based on specific sports for significant stretches. One month may focus on basketball, another volleyball, notes Blake.
Combat sports have their own mini-season and become integral to The Podium’s impact. Notable events occurring at the site include:
Other international events held at The Podium are the 2023 Badminton World Junior Championships and the 2025 International Table Tennis Federation Para US Open. Regional events include the 2025 USA Volleyball Pacific Northwest Qualifier and the 2025 Washington State Middle School Basketball Championships.
The end results of strategic planning to maximize The Podium’s flexibility prove the commitment to a sports-specific venue was well worth it.
The Podium hosted 57 events in 2023, attracting 5,040 actual participants and spectators per event. The average event was 3.1 days.
The statistics do not take into account local sports leagues and other local sports events, as well as graduations, concerts, and other events not directly correlated to Spokane Sports’ efforts.
“Our team has worked tirelessly to establish our reputation as a premier host city,” says Blake.
