When Bill and Donna Hogan opened a small lacrosse store a few years ago in south Reno, they had no idea they eventually would relocate into a 27,000-square-foot industrial space in Sparks.
The Hogans and business partners Bill and Amy Boylan are gearing up for a late July opening of Home Field Athletics, an indoor multi-sport facility at 10 E. Greg St.
The site will include two FieldTurf fields of 8,000 square feet for soccer and lacrosse leagues. The fields also can be used by flag football, volleyball and dodgeball teams. The four business partners are unsure of the exact opening date because of the large amount of construction still to be done.
Bill Hogan says the success of the retail operation, The Lacrosse Zone, spawned the idea for growth. "We went from just strictly selling retail lacrosse, to (running) summer camps to what else can we do to build the business?"
Four area high schools Reno, Galena, Spanish Springs and Damonte Ranch field lacrosse teams, while Hogan runs youth lacrosse leagues for children under 14. He says the new privately financed venture has generated a buzz among the athletic community because indoor facilities in the Truckee Meadows area are lacking.
"There are a lot of people excited to see an indoor facility again in the area," he says. "So many months of the year kids can't do anything even July and August. I can't hold a lacrosse camp in the summer because it is just too hot."
In addition to the two indoor fields, Home Field Athletics will have two rooms for private parties as well as a 900-square-foot retail center offering soccer and lacrosse equipment. Food and beverage services will be added after the facility is open. Despite a slightly delayed opening, the company already has radio spots running.
Amy Boylan says the most challenging aspect of the project was securing a special-use permit from the City of Sparks.
"We had to jump through a lot of hoops and go through a lot of meetings," she says. "It is a lot of work and a lot of money that we hadn't planned."
The group says they scoured the market for nine months looking for a suitable space. Mike Nevis of CB Richard Ellis helped the business partners secure a five-year lease on the building owned by Northwood Properties.
