Dear Shareholders,

It is always important to review the game film. It provides perspective and allows a team to evaluate performance and play EXECUTION. In 2021, the focus was on building the foundation for future Company growth by instituting new plays, building a depth chart and delivering upon our strategic game plan. I am proud of our team’s commitment, passion and perseverance in the face of adversity, which led to many of the first downs showcased within this Annual Report. As you will read, in 2021 we made great forward progress within all three of our business verticals; destination-based assets, media and gaming, despite continued COVID-19 impacts, challenges related to the global supply chain, and barriers faced due to an extremely difficult financial environment. EXECUTION has been our mantra and we have delivered.

In 2021, as it relates to building our destination in Canton, Ohio, EXECUTION meant continuing with the construction of our physical assets and the further development of strategic partnerships and events. We celebrated a full year of operations for the first of our two hotels within Phase II, the DoubleTree by Hilton Canton Downtown. Operating in a post-pandemic environment, occupancy levels and event bookings continued to increase with month-over-month reservations and engagements gaining even greater momentum. During its first year, the hotel was awarded the prestigious “Hilton Legacy Award,” a distinction bestowed upon the top remodels of the year within the Hilton Hotel family. Additionally, the DoubleTree ranked in the top 5% for customer service out of all U.S. DoubleTree hotels. These two honors reflect the team’s steadfast commitment to the delivery of high-quality products and services and establishes us as the marquee offering in the regional hotel space.

Construction at the Hall of Fame Village powered by Johnson Controls continued at a rapid pace throughout the year. The Constellation Center for Excellence was completed on-time and on-budget, receiving the certificate of occupancy in early October. This 75,000-square-foot, mixed-use facility has already begun tenant buildouts and will now also be the central location of our Company’s headquarters. The Fan Engagement Zone, home for many unique and engaging dining, entertainment and shopping options, went from a grassy field to a rapidly developing site with enclosed steel structures erected and asset facades being formed. Soon guests will have multiple opportunities on-site to eat, drink and play without having to leave our beautiful campus.

We also were pleased to announce the redesign of the Center for Performance from a brick and mortar building to a futuristic sports and entertainment “dome.” This reengineering not only provided more versatility within the facility, but also afforded us significant savings on material costs, which are being strategically reallocated to mitigate cost exposures caused by inflation and supply chain delays. In addition, we continued expansion of our Village Sports Complex, home annually to hundreds of thousands of athletes and fans, which will allow for even larger sporting events in the future. Not only did we expand capacity, but we also added more amenities such as a concession area, merchandise sales outpost as well as classroom space for coaches and athletes creating a much more compelling location within the Village.

While maybe not the most exciting play, we also continued to invest in millions of dollars of infrastructure, upgrading technology and moving nearly 500,000 tons of dirt. This entire game was continuing to be played while welcoming approximately 2 million fans, guests and athletes to our campus. Looking ahead, we are focused on beginning construction of our on-site hotel and football themed waterpark, as infrastructure work in that area finalizes, and on the completion of our 3.5-acre outdoor entertainment area, Play-Action Plaza. This new green space will be home to two permanent amusement rides, the only of their kind in the region, an outdoor amphitheater, walking and fitness trails, and plenty of additional space for leisure, entertainment and recreation activities.

The gameplan also continued to be developed and executed within our media vertical, Hall of Fame Village Media. Highlights included continued production in partnership with NFL Films and Elite Team Holdings, of a one-of-a-kind documentary, “The Perfect Ten,” which profiles the individuals that have both won a Heisman Trophy and have been enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The project, which was announced at the beginning of 2021, is currently being discussed with potential distribution partners with the opportunity to be shared in early 2023. Our media division also completed filming the second season of the “The Academy.” The Academy, the NFL Alumni Association’s developmental training and skills program, housed at the Village campus, provides unique access for our partners at Whistle Studios and Wav Sports & Entertainment to capture the journey of struggles and triumphs for those elite Academy athletes. This second season allowed for proof of media concept and ended in 24 players being given the chance to achieve their dreams of playing in the NFL. Lastly, our media team continued to be flexible and innovative by entering the Non-Fungible Token (“NFT”) business with a strong focus on product quality, consumer experience and ease of market access. Our Company’s initial offerings established us as one of the newer pioneers in the space and provided an interactive set of digital collectables for fans to enjoy. We look forward to continuing to advance our effort in this digital collectable space with our recently announced partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and I Got It.

Finally, gaming continued to be a focus for Company growth as we launched our own fantasy-based football experience and signed new partnerships to support our work in eGaming and sports betting. Our Hall of Fantasy League (“HOFL”) finished its inaugural season, as the Atlanta Hot Wings won the championship after an exciting run for each of our 10 franchise teams. Commissioner Terrell Davis, other NFL Legends and fantasy experts provided their unique perspective on team selections, game commentary and community engagement. All of this set the tone for the “first-of-its-kind” community fantasy football league offering. Currently, we are working to rollout an exciting season 2 for participants and fans to “double down” and have even more ways to interact and be engaged within the world of fantasy football.

As anticipated, sports betting was legalized in Ohio during the final weeks of 2021 and has presented our Company with an exciting opportunity to be engaged within this lucrative and growing space. Within a few weeks of the sports betting bill being signed into law, we announced two new incredible strategic partnerships, the first being a partnership with Rush Street Interactive, which will support an on-site retail sports betting location at the Village, and the second with mobile platform trailblazer Genesis Global Ltd., which will allow guests to bet with their digital devices from anywhere in the state of Ohio. Both companies afford us strong entry into the new sports betting environment and, subject to obtaining all necessary sports betting licenses, will provide unique gaming capabilities and seasoned leadership teams to help execute and drive new revenue streams and guest experiences for many years to come.

eGaming continues to be a strategic part of our gameplan with multiple opportunities being developed to bring eGaming to the Village. Plans include the building of a destination eGaming center within our Fan Engagement Zone as well as booking and scheduling eGaming tournaments to be held throughout our campus. We are driving to become a destination for this growing enterprise and home for gamers of all kinds to be engaged and educated while competing with other gaming athletes from around the world.

I know as you read this letter and review our Annual Report you will agree the focus and momentum of our team has been exceptional. As difficult as 2021 was for everyone around the world, we have laid the foundation, both literally and figuratively, for sustainable future Company growth. Buildings have been completed, shows have been developed, and events and partnerships have continued to increase, all being supported by a growing team of driven talent and experience to power our dynasty.

Our promise to everyone is to continue to Honor the Past and Inspire the Future through everything we do. Thank you for your continued support and trust in the process as we accelerate our efforts on all fronts to win again in 2022.

Michael Crawford
President and Chief Executive Officer