The Floyd Bennett Field Sports Complex, formerly Aviator Sports and Events Center, is officially under new management. Gateway Hospitality LLC, a subsidiary of ExplorUS, a national hospitality and recreation management company, has taken on the sports fields and hangar facilities on Flatbush Avenue, just across the Marine Parkway Bridge. And their hopes are to bring new life to the complex while ensuring there’s a smooth transition for ongoing programming.
Since previous Aviator lessee Arklow-FBF, LLC, announced in March 2025 that the facility would be closing, it’s future has been up in the air. Arklow-FBF, LLC held a 20-year-lease for the property since 2003, opening the sports complex in 2006. As of 2023, they extended their contract twice with NPS but officially decided to throw in the towel in 2025. But the 175,000-square-foot complex’s future is now certain. As of June 1, National Park Service’s (NPS) 60-year-lease for Gateway Hospitality LLC officially began.
Some who continue to utilize the facility, located at 3159 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, may notice a smooth transition. As Gateway Hospitality LLC takes over, they’re holding on to some longtime partners who utilized the Aviator Sports complex, and ones that formed to fill in the gaps as ownership was still being decided. That means Aviator Hockey & Figure Skating LLC programs, which picked up after Aviator announced its closure, are continuing on the ice, FC Copa soccer programs are continuing on the field, Xavier High School and Xaverian High School will be able to continue using the facilities, and Green Meadow Farms will be continuing their spring and fall farm activities. In addition to that, Gateway Hospitality LLC is having ongoing discussions with other organizations who might be interested in continuing to use the facility and those who may want to utilize it in the future.
ExplorUS, who oversees Gateway Hospitality LLC, was selected by NPS through a Request for Proposal process released in summer 2025. The company, with more than 30 years of experience, oversees gift shops, restaurants, lodges, and tours in nearly 80 national, state, and local parks across the U.S. Some more well-known parks include Acadia National Park in Maine and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, but ExplorUs isn’t a stranger to Gateway National Recreation area. Since about 2020, ExplorUS has managed the Silver Gull and Breezy Point Surf Clubs on the west end of the peninsula. However, a sports complex is a first for ExplorUs.
“We understand how important this facility has been to the community and the role it has played for families across Brooklyn and beyond,” Frank Pikus, CEO of ExplorUS, said in a press release. “Our priority is to restore trust in the facility, support the programs and recreational opportunities the community values, and take a thoughtful approach to bringing the complex back to life in a way that reflects what this community wants and needs.”
While supporting ongoing programming, Gateway Hospitality LLC will be focusing on making improvements. In an initial phase, they’ll be assessing the facility, cleaning up some aspects, focusing on operational readiness and looking into ways to expand community access and programming as they strengthen partnerships and work with community feedback to move forward.
Some changes are already underway. “We plan on expanding what we have. It’s been public knowledge that the facility has some challenges with it. We’re putting in our own money into the facility as part of the agreement and there are parts that NPS has committed to like doing the roofing. We’re all cooperating in making sure the facility is undergoing changes that get it back to what its glory was,” Justin Unger, senior vice president of strategy for ExplorUs told The Rockaway Times. “Every week, guests are going to feel like something new is happening as we bring things back to life. Today, we’re repairing the elevator. Shortly, we’ll be open for parties and rentals again. We’re hoping to get the bar and restaurant running really soon, so there would be food there for families coming out for programming.”
As they plan how to move forward, community input is vital. “We hoping to have the nearby communities be users of the facility. There’s an opportunity for the community to give feedback and we welcome it. We need it to make this place profitable so it can stay open,” Unger said. “We want to hear what the community wants and needs and those wants and needs are going to shape what we bring here. We did not want to come in and impose our vision on it. We wanted programs that have been planned or already operating to continue while we have productive conversations with operators. We’ll see what the future holds.”
With that said, let Gateway Hospitality LLC hear your feedback! A dedicated email address, community@floydbennett.com, has been established where families, athletes, coaches, and neighborhood stakeholders can share ideas, concerns, and suggestions. Community members can also visit https://floydbennett.com/ for facility updates, booking information, and future announcements.
Want to utilize the space? Floyd Bennett Sports Complex is available for a wide range of sports, recreation, educational, community, and special event opportunities. Organizations interested in booking space, hosting activities, or exploring partnership opportunities are encouraged to contact events@floydbennett.com.
ExplorUs is looking forward to working with the community to bring the sports complex back to its prime. “For folks from that part of Brooklyn to Rockaway or even Long Island, Aviator is an institution and they’re sad to see it in its current state,” Unger said. “We recognize that and are looking forward to breathing some life back into it. We see this as an anchor for the community, a community gathering place, where high schools have operated for 20 plus years, with a whole generation of kids who grew up ice skating here and playing soccer, and so we look at this facility and see that it could be so much more than it is today and we want to get it back to where it was and restore that community connection. That’s our goal. We want to keep that story going.”
