NASHVILLE — Mid State Sports recently opened a 30,000-square-foot gym in Nashville, the largest indoor sports facility in Davidson County. The facility provides a permanent home for the organization’s recreational leagues and tournaments.

Mid State Sports manages seven parks across the Nashville area and offers leagues and tournaments in basketball, volleyball, flag football, pickleball, soccer, softball, and kickball for adults and children. Founder Ty Mathews said the new gym fulfills a long-held goal: “This is a dream come true. I've been talking for a decade about us having our own gym where we could run our own tournaments, so I'm really, really happy to have this.”

Mathews, a Knoxville native, began refereeing after moving to Nashville and launched Mid State Sports around age 24. “I've done youth and adults (as a referee), and I just saw a need in the market to say that there wasn't enough quality recreational sports for both kids and adults. And I just decided that I think this is a good time, as the city was starting to grow ... and I just saw an opportunity and thought ‘I can do this,’” he said.

According to Mathews, about 30,000 adults and 50,000 children participate in Mid State Sports annually. He said the organization has grown over the past 15 years into one of the largest independent adult sports leagues in the Southeast. The new gym eliminates the need to rent space from churches and schools during the week, he added: “We opened it because we've been dreaming of a place like this because during the week, you know, we (would) rent gyms from churches and schools all week and then on the weekends, we'd use basketball courts all over Middle Tennessee. So, having our own place that we could call home was really important, and so that's what this is.”

Parents and coaches praised the program’s impact. Elizabeth Scott, whose 9-year-old son plays in the league, said, “Social-wise, he's got friends in all different little areas because a lot of the kids are from different areas in Nashville. Ultimately, it keeps him active and healthy, but also it keeps him out of trouble and kind of gets that energy out and keeps him off the video games.” Former University of Tennessee basketball player Dominique Redding, who coaches through Mid State Sports, said, “I wouldn't be where I am today if someone didn't take a chance on me and saw my potential at 10 years old back in Clearwater, Florida, and it's just my way of giving back to the kids, and I love it.”