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Feasibility Study of a Potential New Youth and Amateur Sports Complex in Mounds View, Minnesota ●Page 50 <br />5 MARKET DEMAND &PROGRAM <br />Other Indoor Sports Demand <br />There are a variety of other indoor sports that typically require a critical mass of flat floor space and accompanying seating in <br />which to host practices,games,competitions,tournaments,meets,exhibitions and other such events. <br />Indoor training space for baseball,softball,soccer and other spring sports is one such potential opportunity from January through <br />March/early April.Organizations such as the Irondale Baseball League,Irondale High School and North Suburban Soccer <br />Association indicated a moderate to strong interest in off-season indoor training space for baseball,softball and/or soccer.These <br />organizations could utilize the entire five-court complex an average of three times per week.While they prefer prime hours <br />(between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm,these organizations offering opportunities for off-season training are generally flexible with their <br />utilization and willing to utilize early morning,late night and even weekend space for training. <br />Another opportunity is with Active Kids Association,which is a 501(c)3 non-for-profit organization that offers summer camps, <br />before and after school programs,school release break day programs and community events designed for kids and families to <br />spend time playing a variety of sports,socializing,learning healthy lifestyle skills and attending educational events.Program <br />offerings tend to be early mornings,before the school day,immediately following school release and weekdays during the <br />summer months.They serve over 800 families and 1,000 kids in grades kindergarten through fifth grade,annually.As a non- <br />profit organization,they tend to seek more modest rental terms;however,they utilize indoor activity space during typical non-peak <br />hours and provide an important service to area households with working parents and underserved families. <br />Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation,with an estimated 4.8 million participants,with 4.0 million participants <br />playing eight times per year or more,according to USA Pickleball.Depending on configuration,facilities can get two or three <br />pickleball courts on each full-sized basketball court and can operate year-round on weekdays during typical non-peak rental <br />periods.The average age of pickleball players has been declining in recent years,as younger individuals begin to participate,with <br />an estimated decrease in the average age by 2.9 years from 2020 to 2021.Additionally,pickleball tournaments have been <br />increasingly prevalent in some markets;however,these tournaments tend to be held at dedicated pickleball facilities,and not a <br />multi-sport indoor court complex.