Manatee County sports complex set to expand with new fields, apartment homes
UMR Sports Complex in East Manatee County is expanding to offer a multisports athletic facility and apartment complex.
The sports complex, located on Upper Manatee River Road in Bradenton, will include indoor pickleball courts, a miniature golf course, a multi-purpose field and baseball and softball fields to host sporting events. There’s also a 232-unit apartment complex planned that will break ground this summer.
Ryan Moore, CEO of UMR Sports, said it’s been a five-year process to get to this point, now finalizing the site plan and getting ready to start construction on the apartment complex.
“We’re set to go, we’re excited about it,” Moore said.
Construction on the fields will come later, while still aiming for a grand opening in 2027.
Resident repurposes family land for sports complex
For Moore, the UMR Sports Complex is his way of leaving a family legacy and helping draw people to Manatee County.
The land used to be Moore’s family dairy farm, started by his father, Duane. Duane Moore brought his family to Manatee County in the 1950s after high school and started the family farm, according to Moore.
After selling much of the acreage, Moore’s father had some leftover acres and asked him what he wanted to do with it.
Being a family of “sports people,” the sports complex was a natural idea.
“I’m from here. I was born and raised here. For me…it’s honestly a legacy for my dad and my mom,” Moore said of the project.
Upon completion, the complex will have four indoor pickleball courts, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a baseball field, five softball fields, and a soccer and multi-purpose field. Those facilities will add to the existing outdoor pickleball and beach volleyball courts already at UMR.
As part of the expansion, Moore is also planning a 232-unit apartment complex. According to planning records, the complex, called “The Vibe,” will be on the southeast corner of Upper Manatee River Road and Port Harbour Parkway.
“It is a draw to have the athletic center there,” Moore said. “We feel like, from an apartment standpoint, it will lure residents in because of the amenities that we have at the facility.”
Though the sports complex will host events and have a membership structure, Moore said the plan is to host community events and be more than a large, private sports complex.
“This is our hometown. We want people to come in and play mini golf and live on our campus,” Moore said. “When they think of Bradenton, I want them to remember what the experience was that they had here in our complex.”
