New project sponsored by Mt. Orab Port Authority –
By Wade Linville –
Brown County’s student/athletes who compete in some sports have been at a disadvantage over the years, lacking local facilities to foster their development of skills for the sports in which they compete. Many local parents of student/athletes who compete in outdoor sports such as soccer and baseball have experienced how much cost, time and travel is involved during the offseason to attend practices at indoor facilities and compete in indoor competitions during the late fall, winter, and early spring.
Local Jeff Gorman is one of those many parents to go through this experience after years of trips to sporting events and practices with his daughter, Courtney Gorman, who competed in soccer from elementary school through high school and is now a freshman at Wilmington College. His daughter is among the local soccer players who have been involved with select soccer programs in the Cincinnati area such as the Beechmont Soccer Club.
“All of these rural kids are traveling to the Cincinnati area and sometimes out of state, and this gives them somewhere close where they can train or compete,” said Jeff Gorman. “This is an easy place to get to and it’s something we really needed in this area.”
The idea of having a local indoor sports facility large enough to hold arena style soccer games with other additions for hosting other types of sports training and events has been on the minds of Jeff Gorman and his father Ray Gorman for several years, and their vision has now become a reality.
In its final phases of construction, the new facility, dubbed the Mt. Orab Sports Complex, could be open for service as soon a mid-November.
Taking part in the construction of the new sports complex, located on Day Road in Mt. Orab, are Gorman Home Builders and Diverse Building Solutions, while the Mt. Orab Port Authority played a huge role in getting the ball rolling on the project.
The sports complex is sponsored by the Mt. Orab Port Authority, according to Ray Gorman. It was Mt. Orab Mayor Bruce Lunsford who also helped get the project moving forward by setting the Gormans up with the Mt. Orab Port Authority.
Inside the massive building will be approximately 22,000 square feet of astroturf and is well over 29,000 in total. Not only can the facility be used for indoor soccer leagues and possibly football practices or arena-style leagues, but it will also have a volleyball training area and a line of batting cages.
No need for event spectators to bring along food, as there will be a concessions stand serving a variety of food.
The building can also be used for non-sporting events such as weddings, receptions, and parties.
On Tuesday morning construction crews hung the insulation inside the facility, and excitement continues to grow as completion draws near.
“I’m losing sleep over it,” said Ray Gorman, as he watched construction crews work inside the facility on Tuesday. “We’re very excited.”
The project has not been easy. Just obtaining the necessary permits to construct the new facility was a lengthy endeavor, not to mention the construction work that has been involved with the massive building.
Before the new complex is open for business, an athletic director needs to be hired, according to the Gormans.
There are also future plans for outdoor athletic fields around the new Mt. Orab Sports Complex.