Baseball held high attendance for the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in 2025. (Bernard Nomberg)

If it feels like there’s always something buzzy happening in Hoover, you’re not imagining it. According to the Hoover Sun, the city held a recording-setting year—and the Hoover Metropolitan Complex is a major reason why.

We dove into the numbers to see what helped fuel such a standout year.

Hoover Metropolitan by the numbers

The Hoover Sun reported that between October 2024 and September 2025, the complex welcomed a record 785,000 visitors and generated $101 million in economic impact. This equals to a 10% jump in visitors and an 11% boost in economic impact from previous years.

More stats reported include: 

Nearly 500,000 fans visited from outside Hoover, filling hotels, restaurants + local businesses
285,000 locals enjoyed youth sports, walking tracks and the Explore Playground + Splash Pad

What brought everyone to town?

A lot of the growth came from 12 new events, including five major basketball tournaments that drew teams and fans from across the region.

The Hoover Sun noted:

The Finley Center and multipurpose fields were in use 45 out of 52 weekends.
The turf baseball fields hosted events on 43 weekends.
One standout partner, Perfect Game Baseball, held events on 30 weekends alone, generating an estimated $25 million in economic impact.

Baseball reigns at the Hoover Metropolitan

Take me out to the ballgame isn’t just a saying—it’s a way of life at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex.

When it comes to attendance, baseball continues to lead the way, drawing in huge crowds. Event totals reported by the Hoover Sun included:

245,000 at baseball
95,000 at soccer
45,000 at special events, trade shows + meetings
32,000 at volleyball
27,000 at basketball

With numbers this these, it’s easy to see why weekends felt extra busy and local businesses were seeing the benefits.

Not just for big tournaments

It wasn’t all out-of-town visitors driving big numbers for the Hoover Met—local residents played a big role, too.

Along with fan-favorite sports like baseball, softball, basketball and football, locals took part in activities ranging from lacrosse and walking-track sessions to climbing center visits, summer camps and more.

Why it matters for the Hoover community

Even though the city puts millions into keeping the Met running, the real payoff shows up across the entire city of Hoover. Visitors staying in hotels, grabbing meals at local restaurants, filling their gas tanks and shopping around town keep the local economy buzzing long after events end..

City leaders told the Hoover Sun that the success comes down to strong partnerships and smart, long-term planning. And if this past year is any sign, Hoover’s momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

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