Legends Landing will feature 143 beds for independent living, assisted living and memory care in a Pro Football Hall of Fame complex dubbed the “Disneyland for football”, according to Senior Housing News.
Located in the $800 million Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village development, the community will boast a museum, sports complexes and a football-themed amusement and water park when it opens in 2020.
Other potential perks include a bocce ball court, dessert shop, mechanic’s garage and a media lounge for watching football games.
Memory care inspired by Dutch model
There is a serious side to the community however. Recent research has linked long-term football careers to a degenerative brain condition that can result in dementia.
The village will offer former football players access to a range of clinical, fitness and wellness services with the memory care unit inspired by the famous Hogeweyk community in The Netherlands.
But President of the Pro Football Hall of Fame David Baker says many older players are actually in better health than the general population with some already putting their names down.
“The Hall of Fame should be about excellence,” Baker says. “And if we’re going to do this, we want it to be the best of the world.”
Well if we can have theme parks designing retirement villages, why not footballers?
