BARTOW COUNTY, GA - It sounds a little like the plot from the movie Field of Dreams.

A group of private investors is betting that "if you build it, they will come".

They're counting on more than 3 million people a year showing up.

Nine months after first announcing a huge youth sports complex to be located in Bartow County, they are on their way to realizing their dream.

That dream could also mean thousands, possibly tens of thousands of jobs.

Among the investors are former Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox, current Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez and Kansas City Royals Manager Ned Yost.

This week LakePoint Sporting Community and Town Center closed on 1,200 acres of land near the small town of Emerson to begin phase one.

They already have major commitments from two major players.

Perfect Game, USA, a resource for baseball recruiting for college level, minor and major league scouts, will be moving its headquarters to the complex from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Joining them will be Braveheart, LLC, a joint venture between LB3 Lacrosse and the North Atlanta Soccer Association.

Soon the company will break ground for 12 baseball fields and 14 soccer and lacrosse fields as the first part of a 300 acre sports complex.

Games are already scheduled to begin in 2013.

Eventually, they hope to host several sports, including wrestling, volleyball, gymnastics, cheerleading and possibly even rowing on nearby Lake Allatoona.

Phase two depends on attracting as many as 10 hotels and 80 restaurants and retail stores to form a planned town center.

Judy Sparks of LakePoint Sports told 11Alive News on Friday the new complex will create about 2,400 jobs soon and possibly as many as 26,000 over the next decade or so.

Hiring preference is being given to residents of Bartow County first.

Sparks admits it's an ambitious undertaking in a struggling economy.

"This project has been planned over the last several years by what I feel like are the industry's best in real estate development (and) sports operations," she added.

Organizers estimate the project will be close to a $1 billion investment that will mean $20 million in taxes to the town of Emerson and Bartow County.