HAYESVILLE — It’s a state-of-the-art athletic complex, but for a few hours each Friday night Home Turf is more fun center than training center.
The 15,000-square-foot facility in Hayesville is opening its doors to area youth every Friday in September and October for Kids Night. The event is open to children in third through sixth grade and runs from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“This if for those parents who may have older kids who are playing football and they want to go watch the game, but they can’t take their younger children because of the attendance restrictions,” Home Turf general manager Bryan Hall said. “They can drop their younger kids off here for a few hours and go to the game.”
Hall and his team at Home Turf will offer games and activities for children, including kickball, dodgeball and soccer. Hall said kids can also use the baseball and softball pitching machines.
“Basically we’re offering a glorified gym class. We’ll play Wiffle ball and soccer games and if kids want to hit balls in the cage, we’ll have trainers here for that.”
Hall said the Friday night events were also designed to give parents and children a break from one another. The coronavirus pandemic has had families cooped up for the past six months.
“If parents want to go out to dinner and spend some time on their own, they can drop off the kids here,” he said. “The pandemic has really put a lot of stress on families and maybe we can help.”
The Kids Night events run on Fridays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. through the end of October. It costs $20 per child each Friday but discounts are available for multi-child families. To register, call 419-606-7849.
“We just ask that people register in advance so we know how many trainers to have on site,” Hall said.
While Home Turn is primarily utilized by teams, Hall said the facility is available for individuals as well.
“We’re not just for teams that want to rent the space for an hour or two,” Hall said. “We are available for individual athletes, too.”
