USIndoor's Official Magazine is a quarterly publication, dedicated to owners, managers, program administrators and other professionals, startups and providers involved with indoor recreational sports facilities.
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Facility Profile: Indoor Sports Centers Four Facilities under management in Acton, Boston, Newton, Mass., and Rhode Island by Sylvie Green t is 100 degrees in Boston. Acton facilities have with them, however, is commuIndoor Sports, like most facilities in New nicative rather than competitive. Tom knows England, is not air-conditioned. Climate all of the facility operators on a first name control is one of the benefits of indoor soccer, basis. He values these relationships as he yet the heat is not taking a toll on participation would any other resource that allows him to at any of the Boston area facilities where the learn more about his business. Each facility has its own market. At Rhode summer months are just as busy as fall and Island Indoor Sports, for example, between winter. During the winter, Tom McLaughlin is an 20 and 30 teams play youth roller hockey. For order-taker. His job is to understand the this reason, the center has responded to a market. He solicits business from individuals demand for a Pre-K inline skating program. who want to play indoor sports. The youth Rhode Island is the largest of the facilities, teams play seasonally because of their school housing four playing fields. The two turf fields schedules and their desire to play outdoor are used for such events as youth and adult sports when the weather is nice. Adult teams flag football, and youth and adult soccer. play year round. Tom pursues individuals High school soccer teams and high school interested in joining adult leagues that will field hockey teams use these fields during the summer months. The other two fields book the facility in the off-season. "This is not about sports," Tom says. "This are Sport Court, which is a plastic tile is about family entertainment." He is talking, surface over a cement floor with lateral and of course, about the business of operating an vertical give. This is where adults play indoor sports facility, something he takes very deck hockey and volleyball. Youth and adult basketseriously even ball games though it involves also take playing games. place here. As a graduate of More than Harvard Business 250 adult School, Tom applies teams play much of what he on the fields has studied, such at Rhode as how to grow a Island Indoor company. "Every Sports, business is different. booking them There is an indirect to capacity application of a lot year round. that I've learned." Acton Indoor He started out in Sports has one real estate developSport Court ment. From arena and two marinas to high-rise turf arenas, one office buildings, Tom of which is was involved in a Acton Indoor Sports, MA convertible to huge commercial Sport Court. industry. Now he has narrowed his field to four Indoor Sports The convertible field is necessary for the facilities in the Boston area: Greater Boston, demands of the activities that take place there. Newton, Acton, and Rhode Island. "It feels Mini-micro soccer is a non-competitive good to give people entertainment and make program for very young kids who are ready to them happy. People are always happy to talk begin learning the basics of indoor soccer. The hour-long sessions split up into 30-minute about soccer." Though these facilities seem to cover their clinics and 30-minute scrimmages. Pre-K ground, many indoor sports centers reside soccer is a transition between mini-micro and nearby. The relationship the Indoor Sports the youth program, when boys and girls learn I GOAL Indoor • Aug.-Sept. 2002• 20 est and, therefore, the least busy of the facilities. Of the two Sport Court arenas, one is convertible to turf. The youth programs consist of soccer, flag football, roller hockey, and lacrosse. The adult programs include soccer, deck hockey, roller hockey, and flag football. Newton Indoor Sports houses a pro-shop for the hockey enthusiast. The facility also works with Boston Ski and Sports Club to sponsor adult soccer leagues, ski trips, and various social events for its members. Tom has two partners who run the day-to-day operations of the facilities while he handles the administration. Tom is in charge of financing facility events, often in the form of soliciting sponsorthe structure of a game. These two groups ships. He also manages operating systems play on Sport Court in order to prevent poten- for reporting the hands-on work that his tial turf injuries as they are only just learning partners do. Tom joined his partners after signing up his the balance and stability necessary for the rugby team to play indoor soccer at the Acton game. Acton also has a few other attributes that facility. Tom became involved in indoor soccer Rhode Island Indoor Sports distinguish it from Rhode Island, Newton, and Greater Boston to make it an original facility, accommodating the unique needs of its market. A pool is available for use in the summer months or as part of a birthday party package. The birthday package even includes tokens for use in the video arcade that is in the party room. Acton Indoor Sports has a lighted outdoor turf field that will soon be covered in order to use year round. Another unique feature of the facility is its batting cages. Fly Ball is a company that holds canine competitions. A team of four dogs competes in a relay race involving jumping over hurdles and catching tennis balls in their mouths. Acton Indoor Sports hosts Fly Ball competitions on the weekends. Greater Boston Indoor Sports is the small- because of its similarity to rugby; he knew his team would have fun playing it. He also saw indoor sports as a business opportunity and a chance to help his partners grow the company. They still find it hard to believe that Tom has helped them to book so many fields to capacity. While both of his partners play hockey, Tom plays soccer in an Over-40 league at the Acton facility. Like all the Indoor Sports arenas, the Acton facility has dasher boards around its indoor soccer fields. "The market demands it," Tom says. "Without dasher boards we'd be playing a different game. Purists don't like them, but both kids and adults have more fun with them. In the recreation market, dasher boards are our bread and butter." Many of the boards are dedicated