By Deb Mowbray

Twenty-five years of promoting area businesses has presented the opportunity to introduce a lot of companies that add value to our lives and the community. Representing a perfect example is the Indoor Sports Arena (ISA) on Kent Island. Join the Shore Update at this impressive venue on April 29th for our first annual Shore Kids Connection and help us celebrate 25 years of service to this great community!

Opened in 2010, ISA provides the ideal location to keep our youth active and competitive through year-round sporting events, and help adults stay in shape and social with a myriad of activities such as hosting Temple Fitness Center’s recent Biggest Loser boot camp.

“Our goal is to be an athletic outlet for people of all ages,” says Phil Johnson, who co-owns ISA with Gina Carbone. A Pittsburgh native, Phil grew up with a passion for sports, and then studied entrepreneurship in school. “We visited several similar facilities when we were planning ISA and tried to combine the best aspects of them all,” he said.

This vision resulted in an incredible 20,000 square foot free spanning warehouse laid with 15,000 square feet of turf that can be used as one 150’x90’ field or divided into two 90’x70’ cross fields. “We chose the best possible playing service available,” assures Phil. “It acts and plays like natural grass and you can wear any type of shoe on it – including cleats.” The state-of-the-art field turf features a layer of sand under rubber which gives extra cushioning and more stability.

While sports teams and leagues can reserve the arena to host practices and tournaments, ISA’s versatility makes it ideal for a multitude of other activities and functions. The facility is also available for rent for corporate parties, fundraisers and catered events. Plus ISA hosts a variety of in-house leagues that are open for individual registration including soccer, lacrosse, baseball, volleyball, kickball and flag football. According to Phil, they plan to expand their offerings to serve groups and schools that may not have their own recreational facilities, and to cater to senior citizens with leagues like bocce.

The Indoor Sports Arena is open year-round, rain or shine, and features a diverse selection of activities and events. To learn more about the happenings at ISA, check out their Face book page at: www.facebook.com/TheIndoorSportsArena, visit their website at: www.isacomplex.com or call 410-643-6844.