“The Courts of Northwest Indiana” is a 60,000 square-foot state-of-the-art sports complex located in Liberty Township at the intersection of US Highway 6 and Route 49 bypass and is set to be open September 1.

The Courts will have four indoor hardwood basketball courts and three indoor championship tennis courts. The facility will be home to year-round youth and adult basketball league and tournament play. The Courts is also open to the public for family and community use for basketball, tennis, volleyball, and various other activities.

Mark Bengel, owner of the facility and Valparaiso resident said “the motivation for building the facility is to make available the very best indoor basketball and tennis facility to the youth and adults of Northwest Indiana. The facility will provide a central location for competitive youth basketball teams to thrive in Northwest Indiana.”

In addition to youth teams from NW Indiana, Bengel expects teams from Illinois and Michigan to compete in league play with easy access to facility from expressways. Weekend tournaments throughout the year and summer camps will bring youth traveling teams in from all over the Midwest.

The grand opening weekend will be September 8-11 and will feature the inaugural Popcorn Festival basketball and tennis tournaments. On Friday night Sept. 8, the Valparaiso University Men’s tennis team will host an exhibition and clinic for kids ages 7-18. The tennis tournament will run Saturday and Sunday.

The basketball tournament will also kick off on Friday night and run through Sunday. The finale on Monday night will be the Popcorn Fest free throw and 3-point contests.

You can register now for the Popcorn Festival events and also basketball leagues at our website www.thecourtsofnwi.com

 You can also get more information on youth and adult tournaments, leagues, camps, clinics, and court rental info on the website.

Posted 6/29/2006