PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Ground (formerly "Dakar Diamniadio Sports City") is a large-scale, next-generation sports & lifestyle complex located in the Pôle urbain de Diamniadio, near Dakar. Conceived as a regional flagship for both professional and recreational sport, the project brings together, on a single site, a diversified ecosystem of international-standard sports facilities, hospitality, health & wellness, food & retail, and meeting/event spaces.

The complex is promoted by the private company The Ground (historically referred to as Sports City Diamniadio), with a phased delivery approach: early components started operating from 2023, while additional facilities were still under completion in 2025.

Key components include (non-exhaustive):

• Football: a FIFA-standard pitch, plus 7-a-side and multiple 5-a-side pitches.

• Athletics & aquatics: an athletics track and an Olympic-size pool / aquatic area.

• Basketball: two basketball courts.

• Racket sports: tennis courts.

• Fitness & health: premium fitness, sports medical center, combat sports gyms, multi-sport halls, and a wellness area (spa/hammam).

• Hospitality: a 5-star business hotel (Four Points by Sheraton) and a 3-star sports residence (AVO Sports Residence), designed to host teams, events and business travelers.

• Lifestyle & services: restaurants, retail / concept stores, children’s area, and professional training camp facilities.

 The Ground targets a hybrid model combining community access and sport participation with commercial sustainability through hospitality, memberships, events, corporate seminars and ancillary services, positioning the site as a “destination” rather than a single-purpose venue.

The total cost announced as the investment amount for the complex is c. XOF 32 billion (CFA francs) excluding tax.

KEY PARTNERS

Institutional & financial partners:

• BOAD: credit agreement of XOF 10.5 billion for the hotel & sports complex in Diamniadio.

• BNDE: reported support to the project (e.g., funding referenced in press).

Hospitality anchors:

• Four Points by Sheraton: 5-star business hotel) within the complex.

• AVO Sports Residence: 3-star sports residence with meeting/events offer).

Strategic partner

• Armor FC Academy: a football training academy based directly within the Diamniadio complex. This partnership anchors the project’s youth development, training and talent-pathway dimension, reinforcing The Ground’s positioning as a center for human capital development through sport.

KEY IMPACTS

Jobs & local economy

• The project contributes to direct jobs during construction and operations, and indirect jobs via services (security, catering, events, maintenance, retail). (If you want a number for the site, I can add it only if you confirm which source/figure you want to use; some figures circulate but I prefer to stay strict.)
• The project also supports local SMEs through restaurants, retail and event ecosystems.

Sport participation & health

• The Ground concentrates 18 sports disciplines on one campus and is designed to serve both high-performance training and recreational practice, with a dedicated medical-sport and wellness offer.
• Visitor flows & venue activation (targets)
• Target visitation: c.190,000 visitors per year (planned) according to the project reference presentation.
• Additional flows are expected through (i) team stays (sports residence), (ii) hotel guests, and (iii) corporate seminars & meetings (meeting/events offer).

Territory & legacy

• The Ground strengthens Diamniadio’s positioning as a sports & events hub, complementing nearby major venues and supporting the broader ecosystem linked to Dakar 2026 (training camps, hospitality capacity, sport tourism and event logistics).

Photo credit: @The Ground