ABILENE, TEXAS - For the last five years The Dodge Jones Youth Sports Center has hosted a plethora of different sporting events, but all were inside. That is no longer the case with the Abilene Youth Sports Authority's newest venture. The ROC—short for the Recreation Outdoor Complex— opened this fall, aiming to give more local kids and families the space to play, compete, and connect. For Brandon Osborne, the Executive Director at the Abilene Youth Sports Authority, that was the whole point. "One of the visions that we've always had at AYA is to try to have opportunities for kids to come play, being a safe, clean, excellent, but then also try to teach the values of Christ through the sport. And try to impact coaches, parents and players through that."
The ROC expands on the group’s long-running indoor facility. Now, Abilene not only has courts for basketball and volleyball, but ten new outdoor fields—four with turf, six with grass—for sports like soccer, football, rugby, and ultimate frisbee. These new fields adds a big shift for the program: "So indoors is basketball and volleyball pickleball, and now outdoors will be football, soccer, ultimate Frisbee, rugby, all that outdoor, anything outdoor. We want to try to impact every kid in their specific line of interest in terms of sports." Even the complex itself was designed with busy families in mind. At the center sits a spacious clubhouse, where, Osborne says, parents and siblings can rest and watch the games, rain or shine.
"So it's 10 fields, four are turf and six are grass, so we have both of the elements...But then we also have what we think is a separator is the clubhouse that sits in the middle...as well as like a loungy areas for parents and like a kids' indoor play area." That’s a practical solution for parents, Osborne adds, many of whom juggle cheering on one child while caring for another. "The clubhouse allows for both of those to occur, so they can, theoretically be in their clubhouse while at the same time, watch their kids play in a climate controlled environment versus having their kids out in the elements"
Though the complex isn’t completely finished, Osborne says activities are already in full swing. Teams began with soccer and flag football just before the grand opening, with more sports—including spring leagues and tournaments—around the corner.
"We're going to start a lot of different activities. I mean, we'll have spring soccer that will kick off...We have different groups that want to come in and do Ultimate Frisbee. We're going to try to work on a grass volleyball tournament." Osborne is also hoping the ROC becomes a regional destination—drawing in teams from nearby towns and giving smaller communities a chance to play as well.
"We want to try to draw some of the surrounding larger cities like the Lubbock Midlands, Odessa, San Angelos, and also involve some of our smaller communities, so they can compete against the bigger communities as well". The opening event drew local families, community members, and athletes including Kenyan runner and former Abilene Christian University athlete Denis Kipruto Lagat.
Local resident Kenneth Isibor says the ROC is a welcome option for families who just want a safe, reliable place to play. "I think it probably helped for feeding into school programs… It's a bit more safer places to do that, so instead of just the parks we have, so that's neat." Whether you’re a player, a parent, or just a fan, Abilene’s new fields promise there’s space for everyone to join in.
