Indoor Sports Facilities

Athletes in North Idaho no longer need fear the elements during their training. In recent years, two area warehouses have been converted to sports facilities for young people and families to stay active regardless of the weather.

Both facilities, Premier Sports Center in Post Falls and The Dome in Hayden, offer a place to get in out of the crazy weather and focus on improving athletically as well as provide a place to host an event that involves some activity and/or large groups.

Premier Sports Center

Premier Sports Center, 5980 E. Commerce Loop, is a nonprofit, indoor athletic facility located off Seltice Ave. in Post Falls.

Founded in 2012 by Shannon Horn, the 10,000 square-foot warehouse was originally converted to turf to provide an indoor facility for Horn’s daughter and son to practice softball and baseball. Soon, young people from around the area were taking advantage of the indoor training opportunities available there. Horn operates River City Fabrication and First Responder Fire and Rescue supply in the same collection of warehouses.

Operations director Landon Johnston estimates the facility gives about 80 lessons per week from beginner to advanced athletes of all ages and disciplines, some of which are provided by Johnston, an assistant baseball coach at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane.

Premier Sports Center is home to rugby, lacrosse, baseball, soccer, track and field – really any type of athlete, said Johnston. In addition to the lounge and turf surface, the facility also houses five, full-size batting cages.

Parents will love the hot coffee, flat screen television and indoor fire pit for relaxing while the kids play.

Johnston, a lifetime athlete (hockey and baseball) also holds a Master’s Degree in Special Education and has a heart for giving back – the facility recently hosted a Specialized Needs Recreation fun day benefit. “We hope to sponsor more events in the future. We want to be known as a place where everyone can come to stay healthy and active regardless of who they are,” says Johnston.

Future plans include building a larger, indoor/outdoor facility and public field on the Rathdrum Prairie in Post Falls where Horn owns several acres that he hopes to develop for community benefit.

For more information, visit: PremierSportsCenter.org or call 208.765.8380 ext. 133

The Dome

The Dome is located off Highway 95, on 167 W. Miles Avenue in Hayden. The Dome is a for-profit entity, offering lessons, camps and event space for all athletes and/or groups. Tricia Ferreira oversees operations at the facility that is owned by her parents. They are in the restaurant supply business and, like Horn, had an empty warehouse where they thought it would be a great place for their grandkids to play soccer.

Ferreira says, “We’re all about the kids.”

The Dome features an indoor turf area with a batting cage, a party room accessible to the play area, and a fireside lounge and café for parents to relax or kids to do homework. “We see a lot of kids doing homework here before and after practices,” says Ferriera.

Outside, The Dome has a lighted outdoor field for public rental, providing a space for practices, games or just fun events like a family reunion or Ultimate Frisbee get-together.

The Dome serves as an indoor practice area for The Academy, a select soccer club that provides organized soccer for toddlers up to high school age. They also host indoor soccer leagues for adults and kids. Adult drop-in soccer is 8pm on Wednesdays for $5. Birthday parties and events start at around $100 for two hours of facility use.

The group also hopes to add a pro shop and banquet rooms as well as develop a seven-acre facility off Lacey Avenue in Hayden.

For information, visit: TheDomeIdaho.com or call Facility Director Johnny Mueller 208.819.0443.

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