Five years ago, Will Tindall walked onto a scrubby sheep field beside the iconic Formula 1 circuit at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. The 14-acre parcel doubled as overflow parking during major events—a substantial waste of a prime perch situated just outside of the fast right-hander at Maggotts and Becketts. At the time, Silverstone’s management was mulling a glamping setup, recognizing that outdoor living remained broadly appealing at the tail end of the pandemic. Tindall, however, had considerably bigger ideas.
“I said there’s an opportunity to do something which is befitting of the type of people spending a lot of money on track days,” he recalls now.
The former banker’s pitch proved persuasive. Tindall’s new company, Escapade, secured a 125-year lease on the site from the British Racing Drivers’ Club, Silverstone’s owner, and set out to build 60 residences—plus a comprehensive clubhouse and full amenities—that would essentially offer a real-life immersion into the high-octane world celebrated by series like Drive to Survive.
Pairing sports and real estate is, of course, nothing new. Golf has long been used as a primary anchor to lure affluent buyers to residential developments, whether it is the Greg Norman–designed course at Shell Bay in Hallandale Beach, Florida, or the design-forward homes at Loraloma in Texas, whose appeal is burnished by David McLay Kidd’s course design. But a select group of firms is now looking far beyond the traditional links, utilizing alternative sports to create vibrant communities and lucrative marketing opportunities around the globe.
Abu Dhabi–based Ohana, for example, has tapped Champions League soccer powerhouse Manchester City as a partner on its next mega-project along the Yas Canal. The sprawling neighborhood will comprise villas, townhouses, maisonettes, and apartments, supported by extensive sports facilities and a Manchester City Academy for elite training, with prices starting at 1.7 million U.A.E. dirhams, or about $462,000. Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, Florida, Jaguars owner Shahid Khan is spending $1.4 billion on a completely new sports and entertainment district right next to the stadium. It will include just over two dozen Four Seasons–operated residences, starting at $4.7 million, offering a short walk to every NFL home game.
While those properties remain in the planning and construction stages, Escapade’s buyers began taking possession of their villas in 2024, with completions and handovers phased as construction wrapped up. Ownership at Silverstone comes with a wealth of motorsports perks, ranging from an annual owners’ track day and exclusive dining at the Formula 1 course to complimentary annual season passes for every public event held at the field, as well as privileged access to Escapade Spa-Francorchamps, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.
Tindall admits he was not an obsessive fan watching every Grand Prix in his youth. Still, during a decade spent living in Asia, he started signing up for track days and go-kart racing, quickly recognizing the sector’s hidden potential upon his return to Britain.
“Some of these guys are up here two, three times a month,” he notes. “It’s 90 minutes from London, so typically they’re driving back. But after a day on track, and you’ve had some drinks at a race, the idea of having to contend with traffic or you’re just tired and having to drive back… you know, it’s a social sport.”
Motorsport UK issues approximately 5,000 competitive motorsport event permits each year for rallies, hill climbs, and races, Tindall adds, giving the racing calendar year-round appeal far beyond the marquee Grand Prix held each July. “And all of these circuits are looking for the holy grail, which is dwell time throughout the year, increased footfall.”
Even so, Tindall acknowledges that the privately funded development—costing between £67 million and £68 million, or roughly $90 million—was “a dice roll.” There was simply nothing quite like it on the market. He offered a selection of two- to four-bedroom Modernist homes. Four-bedroom trackside properties started at £2.2 million off-plan (nearly $3 million), with three-bedroom trackside residences priced at £1.9 million (approximately $2.5 million), four-bedroom dual-aspect homes at £1.35 million (over $1.8 million), and smaller two-bedroom offerings positioned farther from the action but closer to the surrounding countryside at £850,000 (about $1.14 million). Secondary-market sales have already exceeded those initial prices.
Escapade is not a conventional second-home community, however. It operates much more like a condotel: local regulations preclude full-time residency, and no owner can spend more than 28 consecutive nights in a single villa. Tindall explains that most owners use their homes for roughly 30 nights a year, placing them into the rental pool run by the Escapade Silverstone brand for the remainder of the time. Guests can book a night or two around a race weekend or simply visit for a getaway in the countryside, with 35 percent of gross revenue going directly to the residence owners and the remaining share covering operating costs, professional management, and maintenance.
Approximately 60 percent of his buyers are U.K.-based, Tindall says, including one 40-something banker who lives in London with his wife and two young children. While his six-year-old son is an avid motorsports fan, the broader appeal for the family was securing a turnkey weekend escape within easy reach of the capital.
“We’d love to have a country home with more space, but we don’t want the hassle of it,” the banker says. He purchased his home off-plan when the site was still a mud field and remains thrilled with the outcome. “The best thing has been the getaway weekends: It’s priceless for the kids, and zero headaches in terms of anything else. When I’m invited to friends’ birthdays nowadays, it’s like, ‘That’s my birthday gift to you: Have a weekend with the family.’”
He also appreciates the hybrid operational model, which allows him to enjoy the property personally while generating a profit. “I get access to the clubhouse even if my unit is rented, so last year’s F1, I had drivers stay because drivers don’t care about watching the race. They don’t want the trackside. So the units were rented out—one to drivers and one to some F1 personalities—and we get to go to the clubhouse on the day, watch the race, not stay, and make tons of money on that weekend.”
He originally purchased three of the least-expensive countryside-facing two-bedroom units, planning to hold two and eventually deed one to each of his children. The third is now on the market for £1 million (about $1.3 million), an asking price representing potential capital appreciation of nearly 15 percent in less than two years of ownership, even before factoring in the rental income received over that period. He is also offering prospective buyers a minimum guaranteed net rental yield of 6 percent annually for the next two years.
Tindall has ambitious plans for further Escapade projects, funded in part by supportive owners who have backed his expansion. Next up is a conventional 91-bedroom hotel complex at the Belgian Grand Prix, followed by another Silverstone-style real-estate development at Kuala Lumpur’s Sepang circuit. The last Grand Prix was held there in 2017, and the local government hopes Escapade can help revive both interest and track activity. Buyers of the planned 30 to 60 homes across a 23-acre site will enjoy special track access, including dedicated windows at the beginning and end of every day designed to maximize driving time during a single overnight stay. Both the Belgian and Malaysian projects are expected to open by the end of 2028. Tindall is also eyeing the United States, noting that he is already in early discussions with a historic circuit that he declines to name.
Similar sports-driven real-estate developments are also emerging elsewhere, though they involve horsepower of an entirely different kind. Wellington, Florida, is synonymous with the global equestrian world, serving as a Palm Beach–adjacent winter mecca for riders who descend upon the area for the 13-week Winter Equestrian Festival. For years, developers attempted unsuccessfully to win official permission to build a community where horse enthusiasts could live year-round and make full use of extraordinary equestrian facilities. Those permits have finally been granted under the guidance of Doug McMahon, a former advertising executive turned developer who previously masterminded the renowned Albany project in the Bahamas.
His plans for Wellington will dwarf that Caribbean enclave, incorporating hundreds of high-end homes alongside mixed-use retail and entertainment spaces. At the highest tier will be five individual farms spanning four acres each. Rather than sharing central stables and other facilities, each estate will feature its own private infrastructure, with estate home prices starting at $10.4 million.
McMahon notes that there is already substantial year-round equestrian activity in and around Wellington, with events scheduled across 42 weeks of the year, supported by 50 polo fields, two showgrounds, and expansive stables. He anticipates that 75 percent of buyers will be equestrian families, particularly adults who rode in Wellington as children and now count those trips among their most cherished memories.
“It’s the next generation of equestrian families,” he says. “Many of them want Wellington to be their primary home.”
While sales have yet to open publicly, with early purchases currently restricted to accredited investors, McMahon expects the supporting amenities and the first homes to come online by the end of 2028.
France’s Les Bordes may beat him to the punch. The prestigious Loire Valley club has long ranked among Europe’s most exclusive destinations, featuring three courses, including Par-72 designs by Gil Hanse and the late Robert von Hagge, alongside Hanse’s Par-30, 10-hole short course known as Wild Piglet.
Now, the club is courting alternative sports enthusiasts as well. A new equestrian center debuted last July, and a dozen homes are currently under construction across the 494-acre property, most equipped with private stables aimed squarely at elite riders. Aaron Birks of the sports marketing and talent management agency Enso Equestrian was brought on as an advisor to ensure the project resonated with its target demographic.
“They noticed they had a lot of visits from females who didn’t play golf, and they didn’t have an offering for them,” Birks explains. He adds that France serves as an ideal base for the summer season because its position within the European Union’s Schengen zone makes moving horses smoothly from one international meet to the next significantly easier.
This broader industry shift raises questions about what is truly driving the evolution of sporting real estate beyond traditional golf courses.
Chris Graham, a consultant specializing in branded residences—a booming niche that now encompasses luxury names from Aston Martin to Rosewood—views sports as a natural extension of the market, particularly as personal wellness and longevity have become obsessions among the world’s wealthiest buyers.
“There is evidence to support that if you have a product or development that incorporates wellness, you will get a 15 percent higher price premium,” Graham says.
However, he remains more cautious about team-branded developments, such as those in Abu Dhabi and Jacksonville, compared to projects centered around physical activity or broader sporting disciplines.
“The question is, do people want to live in that sort of an environment? And are there enough Man City supporters who actually want to buy these apartments? Well, time will tell. I’m a Chelsea season-ticket holder, and even I was like, ‘Well, O.K., this is kind of weird,’” he says with a laugh.
Strict team allegiance might create an instant sense of community, he argues, but it can also drastically reduce the pool of prospective future buyers should an owner ever wish to sell.
Perhaps the safest bet in sporting real estate, then, is not a purpose-built development at all, but rather locations where the sport is already deeply embedded in the existing urban landscape—such as Monaco. The principality stands as a unique Formula 1 outlier, with its legendary racetrack carved directly out of city streets every June. Edward de Mallet Morgan, an agent with Douglas Elliman France specializing in ultra-prime property in the region, notes that buyers regularly request apartments overlooking the course, specifically targeting locations like Le Mirabeau on the Carré d’Or, which towers directly above the Fairmont hairpin.
Such apartments can command a 15 to 20 percent premium over comparable Monaco homes that lack a view of the Formula 1 course.
“In those apartments, you stick your head out of a window and they fly past. You do that a few times, and your head starts spinning,” de Mallet Morgan says. “You sit down and let someone fill up your glass of Champagne and sit on a nice, comfortable sofa and watch it.”
