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Nittany Valley Sports Centre Set to Open Next Month

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Centre County athletes who have been looking for an indoor place to practice and play can rejoice, as the Nittany Valley Sports Centre is about ready to go after years of planning. 

The 70,000-square-foot sports complex will have space for recreational and competitive sports, along with space for meetings, charity events and team-building seminars. Phase 1 of construction is finishing up and the facility is planning a soft opening on Feb. 18 with leagues and programming starting that weekend.

Located off Bernel Road near Fox Hill Road at 177 Champions Drive in Patton Township, the large facility cannot be missed. The open area will contain a 20,000-square-foot indoor field with Puregrass turf that can be divided to fit multiple games at once, batting cages and pitching tunnels that come down from above, and a 10,000-square-foot hard court area for basketball, volleyball, field hockey and futsal. Work on installing the top-of-the-line Puregrass turf is set to be completed by the Feb. 18 opening date, said Danny Orton, assistant operations director at the center.

The building also contains a 16,000-square-foot gymnastics training center, which will be home to Centre Elite Gymnastics, and the Parisis Speed School — a 4,000-square-foot speed and agility training area. The speed school will be a place for athletes, young and old, to improve their athletic skills.

The center will host sports leagues and camps, with the ability to provide space for soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, field hockey, flag football and lacrosse, giving year-round access to these sports no matter the weather, Orton said.

“Ultimately this is going to be a great opportunity, primarily so everyone in the community can come out and try out sports. It’s especially great for moms and dads to come and watch their kids try out new sports and maybe enjoy a latte,” said Orton.

He said there will be developmental programs at the facility that will teach young athletes new skills, along with the leagues.

“Some of the sports don’t have leagues, so that is a void we hope to fill,” Orton said.

There will be some opportunity for rental space, but most of the time will be filled with center programming, he added. The leagues will be open to any group that wants to take part. Registration for the sports leagues and programming at the center went online Jan. 16, so those who are looking to get a team going can find information and registration at thecentrepa.com.

There will be also be a large spectator viewing area with a full-service café and large-screen TVs throughout. The space also includes areas for offices, meetings and spaces for parties.

“What a fun way for a kid to celebrate their birthday by getting together with all their friends and play, run around, have fun,” Orton said.

Plans for the facility were five years in the making, but Orton said it is something the community has needed for quite some time. He has coached soccer at multiple levels during his time in the area and understands the need for playing space.

This is just Phase 1. There is no timetable yet for Phase 2, but in September the group received a $1.5 million state grant to complete construction of Phase 2, which will include basketball courts and a grass outdoor field.

All of it adds up to something that will benefit the community, Orton said.

“I feel that sports will save kids. You get them out of the house, get them active. I think moms and dads will want that. And I think this will be a great opportunity to do that, and at the same time grow all the sports in the region,” he said.