Rock Hill, South Carolina once stood as a powerhouse in the manufacturing industry.

Today, this vibrant city has reinvented itself as a leader in sports tourism.

Thanks to a visionary blend of long-term strategy and a few calculated risks, this city has found itself competing on national and international stages.

Carolina Impact's Chris Clark explores the smart decisions that paved the way for a new era of success.

- [Chris] On any given weekend in Rock Hill, the city's parks buzz with energy as thousands of amateur athletes compete in everything from volleyball and softball, cycling to soccer.

- [Group] We're, we're, we're.

- Love the facility.

- This place is absolutely beautiful.

- [Chris] Once a thriving textile hub, Rock Hill's factories humped, weaving its identity into every thread of fabric.

But in the late seventies, the mills began to fall silent.

The town faced an undeniable truth.

To survive it would need to reinvent itself and stitch together a brand new future, - Much like most southern cities or towns, and trying to figure out a way to kind of divest itself into what was gonna be the future.

- [Chris] In 1983, the city found itself at a pivotal moment over what to do with 68 acres of prime real estate.

Many pushed for retail shops and restaurants.

Former mayor Betty Jo Rea and former city manager Joe Lanford had a different vision.

Their idea wasn't just about filling land, it was about transforming Rock Hill into something far greater.

- Our council and our leadership of our mayor and city manager at that time said, "Well, let's turn that into a sports complex."

- [Chris] Two years later, Cherry Park, the first jewel in the Rock Hill Sports crown, opened for business and set the tone.

- We got five softball baseball fields with a three story tower in the medal.

We have concessions offices and medal score keeping up at top.

It's got a mile and a half walking track that our local community can get their exercise in.

- [Chris] It quickly became a source of local pride, and in 1986 caught the attention of the National Softball Association, who have since held hundreds of sanctioned tournaments on its red clay.

Built for $4.6 million, in 1985, the park's estimated direct economic impact in 2024 alone soared to an impressive 10.1 million.

Great for softball, but what about football and soccer?

- As the community expanded, the wastewater treatment facility had to move out closer beyond the city limits.

This community was saying, "Hey, we got an idea of what to do with it."

And they were already not having enough space to play soccer and football in.

So that's where Manchester Meadows got created.

- [Chris] Here's what it looked like before, and here's what they transformed it into.

A sprawling 70 acre complex featuring both natural and artificial playing surfaces, soccer, football, and lacrosse.

In 2012, Rock Hill made a bold statement by bidding for and winning the right to host The Youth Soccer National Championships, solidifying its place on the national stage.

(players screaming) - We were up against two other cities, Boston and Kansas City.

- [Chris] The Velodrome opened in 2012, followed by the BMX Supercross Track in 2014, hosting a USA BMX Nationals event every year, along with two UCI BMX Racing World Championships.

- So to Boston and Kansas City, now Copenhagen, Denmark, we just hosted an event in 2024.

Copenhagen, Denmark is hosting it in 2025.

Bangkok Thailand, Zolder Belgium, Papendal Netherlands, those are the facilities that we're competing against.

- [Chris] Which is music to the ears of local businesses.

- When you start getting into that international component, they're not here for a weekend or a week.

They're here for 30 days, 45 days.

- But their biggest investment to date, oh that is right here.

This is the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center and coming in at $28 million, this place cost almost as much as all of those other parks combined.

It features a championship court with 1200 seats, eight full size basketball courts, or 16 volleyball courts, 700 permanent seats around the edge and a walking track.

- For what you're getting when you walk into this arena, like I said, it's nicely maintained.

We've been in other facilities that cost more and don't offer as nice of a facility.

- The other thing is the sheer size of this place.

So to be able to hold the venues like this, we're able to host a large event and that attracts people from all over the place.

- [Chris] Over a quarter of a million people in 2024 flocked to the Rock Hill Sports Center.

This steady stream of spectators is a lifeblood for the restaurants surrounding the venue, turning the area into a bustling hub of activity and opportunity.

- It helps our weekends exponentially.

We do a lot of different events throughout the year.

The American Cornhole League competition each year tends to be one of our busiest weeks and a little bit crazy at times.

The basketball and volleyball events also going on pretty much year round.

- [Chris] The initial investment to build these world-class facilities totaled $58.3 million.

Yet the estimated direct economic impact for fiscal year 2024 alone reached nearly $125 million.

This remarkable return underscores the city's ability to adapt, evolve, and remain a leader no matter which sport captures the nation's attention next.

- Nobody saw air guitar being held here.

Nobody saw cornhole being played in here.

Nobody saw dodge ball or knives being thrown.

It's unique, it's different.

But if they'll spend money in our community and they create room nights, we'll host 'em.

- [Chris] What began as a vision to breathe new life into a fading town has transformed Rock Hill into an international sports destination.

With each new facility, each new championship, Rock Hill has proven it's not just keeping up with the times, it's leading the way.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Chris Clark.

(pleasant music)