12
PLEX
INDOOR SPORTS
THE EVOLUTION
OF A FACILITY
M
any years ago, Dr. Mike Harris, a
practicing family physician, began
coaching a varsity girls high school soccer
team. He didn't expect to do it for six years.
During that time, he made an observation
about indoor soccer.
"I'm from Chicago. In Chicago they have
a good number of indoor facilities. Indoor
soccer builds your skills much faster than
outdoor soccer just because of the speed of
play and short passes. I realized there was
a recreational void here in South Carolina for
indoor soccer."
In Mike's area, Parks and Recreation have
funded outdoor sports very well. "But they
have little indoor activities aside from, maybe,
some basketball," says Mike. "When I thought
of building an indoor soccer facility, I began
researching and visiting sites, and I realized
it's a very tough gig to make money at indoor
soccer."
Therefore, he approached it from a business
perspective, asking himself what he would put
his money in. Realizing that popular activities
come and go, that fads change, Mike wanted
to build a business that could adapt. He
knew, for example, that he wanted multi-use
surfaces. He also wanted diverse revenue
streams. "I went at it saying, 'we need to have
the best indoor soccer, but we need to have
a field that also can be used for flag football,
birthday parties–whatever comes up.'"
In the beginning, Plex Indoor Sports in
Sandhills, South Carolina, had an indoor
skateboard park, two turf fields, another
