The country’s first ever world-class facility dedicated to young female athletes is coming to Indiana. Marvella will be located on Fair Oaks Farms in Newton County, Ind., with construction looking to start in spring 2025.
The facility, named after Marvella Bayh, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh – author of Title IX – aims to provide young women with more than the opportunity for world-class athletic training. The Marvella team, including former Indiana Fever player Tamika Catchings, focuses on leadership development, mental health and family values alongside women’s sports.
“Sports is part of it – it’s one area – leadership, one area, mental health, one area, and there are other areas that tie into it,” Catchings said. “But holistically, we get to serve our young women.”
The Marvella complex will include 12 indoor fields, 13 outdoor fields, a health and wellness center, a Leadership Development Center and more. It will also house the country’s first ‘Immersive Women in Sports Tribute’ Museum and Hall of Fame, highlighting achievements in women’s sports and Indiana’s Title IX history.
Former Indiana Fever defensive player Tamika Catchings shares her thoughts and feelings on the opening of Marvella. Catchings is on the Marvella Sports Leadership Team and looks to transform young girls into leaders within women’s sports.
The location at Fair Oaks Farms enhances Marvella’s mission, with the expectation of drawing over a million annual visitors. Fair Oaks Farms shares Marvella’s focus on family values and uplifting women.
“I was definitely a girl in sports, I loved all of my high school sports,” said Jacqueline McCloskey, Fair Oaks Farms’ Director of Business Development. “To know that there’s going to be a leadership center here for women, it’s – it kinda still gives me chills when I think about it.”
Along with promoting family values, Marvella seeks to address rising mental health challenges among young girls. Research shows that participating in youth sports increases the likelihood of leading healthy adult lives.
“Of course, the all-encompassing mental health and just using sports as a vehicle to changing people’s lives,” Catchings said. “I know, for me personally, I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for sports, if it wasn’t for the people that came along at different points during my journey.”
