Sports Space Partners, LLC
More places to play.
Sports Space Partners, directly or through affiliated special purpose vehicles (SPVs), helps fund, build and support more places for people to play. We connect long-term capital with the operators who keep the lights on, and with WOOOBA technology that keeps people playing.
Our mission
There aren't enough places to play. We're changing that.
Every pickup game, youth league and late-night run starts with the same thing: somewhere to play. Across the US, UK and EU, communities are short on pitches, courts and gyms, and many existing facilities are losing investment.
Sports Space Partners exists to close that gap. We approach the funding and building of sports facilities holistically, often alongside housing, hotel and retail, so each project strengthens the whole neighborhood and grows a healthy sports ecosystem.
Building the space is only half the job. Through our partner WOOOBA, the grassroots sports participation platform, every facility we help deliver can be filled, monetized and booked from day one.
Play is for all abilities, for all people.Grassroots first. Every facility we back should be open to the whole community.
Healthier people
Accessible, well-designed facilities give people of every age a reason to move, improving physical health and easing stress, anxiety and isolation.
Stronger communities
Courts, pitches and gyms become community hubs where neighbors meet, teams form and young people find mentors and role models.
More people playing
Placing facilities where people live removes barriers of distance and cost, and gives leagues, tournaments and pickup games a home.
What we do
Connecting capital to more places to play.
We act as advisor, structuring partner and coordinator for the development, acquisition and financing of sports, leisure and mixed-use infrastructure.
Transaction structuring
We shape sports, leisure and mixed-use projects so they meet the requirements of long-term institutional capital.
Capital introductions
We introduce and coordinate with capital partners, including Castlepines Global Equity and similar institutional investors.
Investment-grade credit
We help identify and secure Investment Grade Rated (IGR) counterparties or guarantors that make projects fundable.
Stakeholder coordination
We keep sponsors, capital providers, guarantors and developers moving in the same direction, from first call to financial close.
Development & delivery
We support development strategy, delivery planning and execution alignment so facilities open on time and on budget.
WOOOBA technology integration
Every project can plug into WOOOBA's grassroots participation platform, bringing in players, brands and organizations, monetizing sessions through the WOOOBA Wallet, and connecting booking natively.
Powered by WOOOBA
We build the space. WOOOBA fills it.
WOOOBA (the World One On One Ballers Association) is a sports technology platform for recreational and grassroots basketball and soccer. It connects the people who want to play with the people who organize the game, and with the places to play. Every player, organization and brand gets a PlayerProfile, one identity to use across the entire sports ecosystem.
It is free to use on iOS, Android and the web at woooba.io, with one purpose: to be the LinkedIn of social sports, where brands engage players and people have a game on tap, anywhere, any time.
What WOOOBA does
One PlayerProfile, everywhere
Every player, organization and brand gets a PlayerProfile: one identity that carries their games, groups, reputation and wallet across the whole sports ecosystem, from court to court and facility to facility.
Find a place to play
A map of basketball courts and soccer fields, searchable near you or by city. Anyone can add a missing location, and each one is checked against Google Maps and screened for duplicates before it goes public. WOOOBA speaks the local language too: soccer and fields in the US, football and pitches in the UK and Europe.
Find and join a game
Browse upcoming games nearby and filter by skill level, age range, gender and wheelchair accessibility. Request a spot, or join instantly when the organizer allows it.
Organize games
Create a single game or a weekly series scheduled up to six weeks ahead. Set player limits, approve requests, invite players, and update or cancel one game without disrupting the series.
Build your community
Groups give crews, clubs and community programs a home, with a captain, members, open or approval-based joining and their own chat. Players connect as “My Ballers” and message in the app.
Handle the money
A built-in wallet lets players pay game fees and receive refunds, and lets organizers collect fees and cash out, in US dollars, British pounds and euros.
What WOOOBA brings to every Sports Space project
Fill the facility
More players, brands and organizations
Every facility we back goes live on WOOOBA across iOS, Android and the web. Players nearby find its courts and pitches on the map, join games filtered to their level, and bring their friends. Clubs, crews, community programs and brands run recurring sessions and groups there.
- Verified listing on WOOOBA's court and field map
- Weekly game series that keep slots filled week after week
- Groups for clubs, leagues, schools and community programs
Monetize every session
WOOOBA Wallet and fintech
The WOOOBA Wallet turns casual play into revenue. Players pay game fees in the app, organizers collect and cash out, and a financial ledger reconciles every payment, refund and payout.
- Game fees collected in USD, GBP and EUR
- Organizers and coaches paid for filling time slots
- New revenue lines that support the long-term lease
Book natively
Facility booking integrations
WOOOBA connects directly to the facility's booking and scheduling systems, so open court and pitch time can be found, booked and filled from the same app players already use to organize their games.
- Live court and pitch availability in the app
- Booking tied directly to games and group invites
- Utilization data operators and capital partners can trust
Under the hood
Built to scale from one neighborhood to many countries
- Cloud-native on Amazon Web Services
- Independent microservices for profiles, games, search, chat, payments, wallets and notifications
- Kubernetes with event-driven messaging
- Dedicated geospatial service for “near me” search
- Financial ledger that reconciles every payment, refund and payout
The partnership model
Built to last 40 seasons, not one.
We connect long-term institutional capital with experienced operators, technologists and sponsors to deliver investment-grade sports infrastructure, expanding access to high-quality facilities and increasing participation.
- Funding
- 100% equity
- No traditional debt
- Horizon
- 20–40 years
- Long-term ownership
- SPV ownership
- 50 / 50
- Typical split with co-sponsors, can be flexible
- Target funding
- $100M–$10B
- Approximate range
How a project comes together
- 01
Sponsor brings the project
An experienced operator or sponsor originates the facility and commits to run it under a long-term lease or revenue agreement.
- 02
We structure the deal
Sports Space Partners aligns the project with institutional requirements and assembles the right partners around the table.
- 03
Credit is secured
An investment-grade sponsor or IGR counterparty backs a date-certain, sum-certain income stream for the full term.
- 04
Capital funds the build
Our capital partner funds 100% of development and acquisition costs, typically through a purchase and lease-back structure.
- 05
The doors open
Fixed-price, turnkey EPC contracts deliver the facility. The sponsor keeps operational control and shares in the long-term upside.
Everyone has a position
Sponsor / Operator
- Originates and leads the project
- Owns development, execution and operations
- Enters a long-term lease or revenue agreement
IGR Counterparty / Guarantor
- Provides credit backing for long-term revenue
- Supported by guarantees, insurance wraps or escrow
- Required for every project to meet funding criteria
Institutional Capital
- Long-term equity investor, roughly 50% ownership
- Passive, non-operational role
- Focused on stable, predictable returns
Sports Space Partners
- Structuring, coordination and capital alignment
- Connects sponsor, IGR and institutional capital
- Supports delivery strategy and WOOOBA platform integration
Why this structure works
- Unlocks capital without taking on debt
- Opens access to large-scale institutional equity
- Sponsors keep operational control and ownership participation
- A repeatable model that scales across multiple projects
- Aligns with long-term asset ownership strategies
- Delivers high-quality, community-focused infrastructure
- WOOOBA technology drives utilization and new revenue from day one
Projects we look for
- Sports, recreation and mixed-use facilities
- Sports arenas and stadiums
- Sports facilities with accommodation, housing and parking
- Long-term operating partner in place
- Investment-grade or guaranteed revenue structure
- Build-to-suit, or acquisition and redevelopment
The team
Lifelong players. Seasoned builders.
Decades across boardrooms, startups, sports governing bodies and design studios, united by one belief: more people should get to play.
- Partner
Rich Miller
An attorney focusing on real property transactions, Rich has worked as a consultant, attorney and equity developer, with decades of experience taking projects from land to opening day. He has negotiated acquisitions, ground leases, public-private partnerships and construction contracts for the federal government, universities and national companies on sites from 1 acre to 30,000 acres across the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.
Read full bioCareer highlights
- Currently works with an entity responsible for more than 570 acres and 18.5M SF of facilities
- Federal government projects exceeding 570 acres and 18.5M SF, including new headquarters and historic renovations
- Member in good standing of the Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and District of Columbia bars
- Negotiated the public-private partnership, utilities and site development for the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, MD
- Worked on Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business and Multi-Sport Facility, a 400,000 SF project
- Major redevelopments including Moynihan Train Hall at the Farley Building in NYC and the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC
- J.D., Widener University; LL.M. (Taxation), William & Mary
- Public-private partnerships
- Land acquisition
- Ground leasing
- Zoning & entitlements
- Contracts & procurement
- Due diligence & feasibility
- Partner
Kim Looney
A business and creative professional for over 30 years, from Fairfax County Schools to Fortune 100 companies and startups. Kim pairs strategy with design craft and brings skilled facilitation that helps large groups align and move work forward.
Read full bioCareer highlights
- Investor and Chief Design Officer at GoLogic and Actvestors, building brands, teams and products alongside founders
- Senior UX Designer and Art Director at Publicis Sapient, serving financial services and capital markets clients
- Senior UX Designer at Steampunk, leading journey mapping and service design
- Information Designer at Dynamic Diagrams for Hewlett Packard and the Guggenheim
- BFA in Graphic Design, Rhode Island School of Design
- Design thinking
- Service & product design
- Brand
- Data visualization
- Facilitation
- Agile & Lean UX
- Partner
Dan Lane
Over 35 years as an enterprise board member, executive, small business owner and startup leader. Dan left the board of Sony UK in 2008 to build in the app economy and has since become an international voice on sports, technology and wellness, always hands-on, whether supporting a CEO or serving as one.
Read full bioCareer highlights
- Member of the UK Sports Business Council, co-chaired by the Premier League's Richard Scudamore and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch
- Sony UK board member; helped grow the Semiconductor division from €700M to €1.5B
- Founder of WOOOBA, the world's first pickup basketball app, backed by former Premier League Chairman Richard Scudamore as board advisor
- Technology partner to GB Basketball, Youth Sport Trust and OpenTrack
- Entrepreneur in Residence at Oberlin College, mentoring founders with TechStars
- Operations
- Business development
- Product strategy
- Project finance & leasing
- Sports technology