Community, Coaches and Supporters for A-Game Grow

a-game Basketball

With the sale looming in the horizon of A-Game Sportsplex to Al. Neyer the community, coaches and parents are expressing their concern about the loss of such an important youth sports complex in Williamson County.

After the story broke on Williamson Source last week, community members began contacting Williamson Source and the managers/owners to discuss ways they can help.

As stated in the piece regarding the business side of the sale, partner Trevon Townsend shared that selling the business he has poured his heart and soul into over the past eight years can only be summed up by saying, “It’s a heartbreaker. If someone in the community was going to come forth as an investor or to help save the facility, they would have to move quickly, this cannot be a drawn out process.”

For now Townsend and the other owners are actively trying to find places for teams to practice and play if their doors close. Taking responsibility for the young athletes in the county and wanting to do right by partners invested in A-Game, he went on to say that, “It’s simply the right thing to do because we care.”

It is worth noting that A-Game opened their doors in 2008. Since that time Williamson County girls volleyball has traveled to state, and captured the state title 7 of the last 8 years.

“The potential sale and repurposing of A-Game is a setback for all of Middle Tennessee, including the Alliance Volleyball Club community.  We have been fortunate to call A-Game home since our origination in 2009.  Each year Alliance serves nearly 2000 families on the volleyball courts through our club program.  Moreover, annually we cooperatively host 12 tournaments with A-Game that bring 1200 plus teams to Franklin,” Jeff Wismer, Director of Alliance Volleyball said in an official statement.

Mimi Buettner, mother of three daughters who play volleyball for school and Alliance shared, “It makes me very sad. Such a beautiful facility. The programs will suffer with a decrease in court space. Premier volleyball will suffer as people come from Kentucky, Alabama and all over to play here in the space.”

Williamson County is known for their reputation in the hockey arena, A-Game hosts hockey teams from Williamson County Schools. If A-Game closes their doors, the lack of ice time at Centennial Sportplex in Nashville and distance to the new facility in Antioch, is sure to have a negative effect on the hockey community.

“The season after next could see four area high school programs shut down because they literally will have no place to play; Brentwood, Ravenwood, Centennial and Franklin. During the winter season all of the area ice surfaces are operating at capacity (A-Game, Centennial Ice Plex and Ford Ice) if you subtract any surfaces you are reducing the amount of available ice by 33%. Brentwood Hockey will literaly have no place to practice and no place to play,” Christian Orem, Brentwood High School Hockey Coach explained.

Orem want on to say, “The hockey community is a resilient bunch and hopefully something happens to change this course. Probably the most depressing thing is that an NHL team would let this happen in their own ticket buying town, instead they just release a statement that says they wish them nothing but success but they are not part of the group contracting to buy the property.”

Chris and Julie Van Tassel have expressed interest in helping save the facility. They are a hockey family that lives in Brentwood.  In an interview by phone they expressed “A commitment to explore a three prong approach in reaching out to community leaders, businesses and families. For parents of children who use the facility, there is nothing that gets someone fired up like the loss of something important to their child. ”

Julie went on to share, “We had dinner at Noodles after hockey practice and 13 girls from the basketball camp came through in the 30 minutes we were there. As I was leaving the balcony’s of the Marriott were filled with more girls from that tournament. ”

“The lost revenue for restaurants and hotels will be staggering and cost jobs as well as businesses potentially. This isn’t just from out of state. We live and play with many Williamson county families and go out after practices and games in cool springs. All of that will be gone. The city raised taxes on the facility and they should be given a full concession on taxes based on revenue and the focus on youth sports and development and enrichment.”

Upward Stars Basketball played in 75 tournaments at the A-Game facility this past season. Lance Akridge commented, “For sports parents A-Game is a beacon in the community. It would be a shame in the suburb of Nashville not to have a place like this for youth sports. I consider A-Game the ‘premier’ facility for families and their children.”

“An important part of life is sports. The bigger picture in society is how we build community through playing sports and being part of a team.”

Akridge went on to say, “With tournaments being played year round that fill up hotels and restaurants, the effect on tourism dollars will surely be felt.”

The Van Tassel’s are asking for a call to action: “Community support through an email campaign, phone calls to councilman, city leaders and an outcry of public passion can make a difference.  The voices of the community in support of their children needs to be heard.”

To read the business side of the sale of A-Game see below: Guest Editorial: Aloft and Economic Impact of A-Game

 

 

1 COMMENT

  1. I can’t believe the owners would sell to someone who is wanting to change this facility into office space….there are offices and buildings empty all over the Cool Springs area that are not leased or rented. I pray that someone will purchase the facility and keep it open for the sports that are practiced and played there!!!! This has a HUGE effect on youth sports in the community:(

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