In early August, the City of Rapid City, South Dakota and Sanford Health announced a naming partnership for the city's new community sports complex, and the Rapid City Common Council approved it days later, with nine members in favor and one abstaining. Sanford is committing $10 million over 20 years beginning in 2027, starting with an initial $2 million payment, to support the facility and its operations. In return, Sanford receives naming rights for the complex and a dedicated space inside it for sports medicine and sports performance.
What gives the agreement its shape is the space inside the building. Sanford is placing sports-medicine and performance services within the complex, so young athletes and families can find care in the same place they compete, with the health system's name on the building outside. The deal also arrives alongside a much larger investment Sanford is making across the region.
What the Agreement Includes
The partnership is a $10 million donation from Sanford beginning in 2027 and continuing for two decades, opening with $2 million in the first year. The money supports the new facility and its operations, and it gives Sanford naming rights along with a dedicated space for sports medicine, sports academy, and sports performance activities, among other recognition rights. Kyle Wiese, president and CEO of Sanford Health's Black Hills region, framed it as an investment in the community.
"Sanford Health is proud to partner with the City of Rapid City on this historic investment in health, sports and community."
Kyle Wiese, President and CEO, Sanford Health Black Hills
The Complex Itself
The building Sanford is attaching its name to is substantial. The $76 million complex will deliver 180,000 square feet built for competition, with room for eight basketball courts, sixteen volleyball courts, or thirty-two pickleball courts under one roof, plus a 32,000-square-foot hybrid turf area for multi-sport use. The target opening is late 2029.
The project has broad local support behind it. Pete Lien & Sons donated 22.65 acres for the site, the architecture firm TSP designed it, and Sports Facilities Management, an experienced national operator of venues like this one, will run it once it opens.
Part of a Bigger Investment in the Black Hills
The sports complex is one piece of a much larger commitment Sanford is making in western South Dakota. In November 2025, Sanford announced the Sanford Black Hills Medical Center in Rapid City, a roughly 480,000-square-foot campus supported by a $300 million gift from philanthropist Denny Sanford, with construction expected to begin in 2027 and completion targeted for 2030. Seen next to that, the naming partnership reads as part of a coordinated regional investment across the Black Hills.
The Care Inside the Building
What stands out in this agreement is what Sanford is putting inside the building. Alongside its name on a heavily used community facility, the health system is delivering sports-medicine and performance care on site, for the young athletes and families who pass through. The facility gets health services in the same place families already compete, and Sanford gets a two-decade association with a building the whole region uses. For a health system expanding in a new market, putting its name and its care in the same place is a natural fit.
Takeaways for Investors
Naming Rights With On-Site Care
Sanford's name comes with a dedicated sports-medicine and performance space inside the complex, adding on-site care to the agreement.
A Long-Term Community Commitment
The $10 million runs over 20 years and supports both the building and its operations, a commitment that spans two decades.
Part of a Regional Investment
The partnership sits alongside Sanford's $300 million Black Hills Medical Center, pointing to a broad, coordinated commitment to the region.
Care Where Young Athletes Play
Placing sports-medicine services inside the complex brings care to the families and athletes using it, in the same place they compete.
