The idea for a large, indoor, multi-sport venue had been bouncing around Craig Riotto’s head for decades, he says, but it was in August of 2018 that he got his first sense of momentum. “I said it out loud [to my wife], ‘Everyone talks about how much this has to happen.’ She said, ‘If anyone can figure it out it would probably be you.’”
That endorsement spurred Riotto to share his idea more broadly, and the next few years were filled with conversations putting his concept to the test again and again. “You’ve got to let it out into the world, let it be vulnerable, let it be picked apart, let it be molded and improved,” he says. He likened the experience to dragging a car with no wheels through a thicket. He knew he wasn’t going to make headway alone. “When the core team became more than just me, that’s when Sports Hub was created.”
New England Sports Hub, located in Somersworth, is a 135,000-square-foot space inside the largest dome in the region. Under the dome is a turf field for sports ranging from soccer, baseball, softball to football, or it could be used for concerts or other events. There’s also state-of-the-art golf facilities, which offer a driving range, simulated courses, league play and coaching. A chef operates a full-service pub, a catering kitchen as well as more conventional sports concessions.
Riotto’s dream finally became a reality in November 2024. To get to that point, the idea had to survive a global pandemic, fluctuating interest rates and unpredictable construction costs. “You’ve just got to roll with the punches,” he says.
One of those punches was New England’s weather. To install the dome, if done by the book, they were supposed to wait for a two-week stretch with 0% chance of rain, which just doesn’t happen in this part of the globe. He also had to have all of the groundwork completed and up to 30 people on hand to maneuver the massive, heavy sheets of fabric. Putting up the dome required sustained effort, faith and a preternatural ability to dodge thunderstorms.
For the summer 2025, Riotto expects his team to have a bit of a lull when they can optimize their systems for their second winter. Then he expects to be at full capacity. He plans to further develop by marketing as a destination for corporate retreats, trade shows and MMA fights, he says.
“One of my mentors always said, anything worth doing you’ve got to do yourself, but you can’t do it alone,” Riotto says. “This is built on brilliant people working really hard, working together, for a long time. And now we’ve got something special.”
