LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — A recent survey in 2021, showed while the Acadiana area excelled at providing outdoor sports complex facilities, an indoor sports complex lacked sufficient availability.

After a place to build an indoor facility got put on the back burner in 2023, Ben Berthelot, President CEO of Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission says there is newfound excitement surrounding this project.

“Our board authorized us to begin conversations with IRL to look at a site right in your Cajun field, which would be fantastic for a lot of reasons, he said. For us, it would really optimize the revenue potential. You had the Cajun dome right there; you had the convention center. You have to do more field, brand new stadium. There you have Our Lady of Lourdes. And so, it would open up opportunities for us to go after even larger events.”

This facility’s large, 150-Thousand square feet with 10 basketball and volleyball courts, a performance training center, meeting rooms, cafe area plus upstairs conference and meeting rooms.

Berthelot believes an event center like this would not only benefit Lafayette, but the UL as well.

He says, “The sky would be the limit. It’s one mile from downtown. And then I think there’s alignment with what you are trying to do with their master plan and growth of that and to grow their revenue, which is much needed,” said Berthelot. “So, we’ll see how those conversations go.”

As the location talks get underway, this project garnering more positive news. Berthelot says the funding source is in place.

“But we do have the funding source in place, which is a tourism business improvement district, which started collections on Jan. 1 of 2025. So, the revenue potential is there from the funding source. And now we just need to solidify the location and then move forward with design and engineering and all those things that goes there. But you can have a facility potentially if everything goes well within the next three or so years,” he said.

That time frame, of course, is if everything goes off without a hitch. Berthelot says this is a generational type of project for the area, that would continue to drive the economic future upward.

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