Sports dome near Schoolcraft reopening after doubling in size

SCHOOLCRAFT TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — The sports dome near Schoolcraft is reopening after a major expansion.

The Dome Sports Center is reopening under the name Next Level Sports Center in early November. The sports center, located at 12733 US-131 just outside of Schoolcraft, took down its sports dome in July to make way for a new dome that is twice the size.

The expansion has added courts, including volleyball and basketball courts, more batting cages and turf space. People are particularly excited about the addition of pickleball courts, owner Josh Baird told News 8.

“(It’s) been fun to hear … all the excitement that people have about courts and in particular the pickleball side of things,” he said. “We’re excited to welcome pickleball to our campus.”

The Next Level Sports Center will celebrate its grand reopening on Nov. 1 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the morning. The next day, the community is invited to a grand opening celebration from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The free event will include games, good, giveaway and a chance to see the new dome.

“Really excited to invite people in and see that,” Baird said. “We have a lot of events for the whole family and for the community, so there are things that kids can be doing, there’ll be golf, the courts will be open. So it should be a fun evening.”

Along with the new amenities, the facility now has a bigger emphasis on accessibility. A couple of years ago, Next Level built a miracle field: a special baseball field built to be accessible to kids with disabilities.

As a community grew around the field, Baird said it created a vision for the team for what they could be doing with the rest of the campus. They wanted to create a space that’s welcoming to athletes of all ages and abilities.

“Across the board, we wanted to make sure that we remove those barriers,” he said. “That is really that passion that we have around … athletics and then that human spirit, and the achievement of whatever your potential is. We really believe that that’s something that everybody needs, to have similar opportunities.”

Next Level Performance was first created in 2014, with a goal of offering a space for kids to practice sports and learn life lessons along the way. It moved into the dome in 2015 and has grown since then to offer several resources for athletes and their families to help them pursue their dreams.

It has everything from a strong volleyball program — which up until now has practiced off campus — and an archery program to a physical therapy office and golf suites.

“The foundation of the business has always been around creating these great spaces for people to train and develop,” Baird said. “There are a lot of places that you can play in the area, but there are very, very few places that prioritize practice and development, and so that’s what the campus is all about.”

He said Next Level Performance doesn’t just want to help athletes reach their goals: It also wants to make a difference in people’s lives.

“We’d love to meet you, share what we’re doing and learn your story,” he said. “We’d love to be part of that story and find a way to serve your need or your dream at the dome and Next Level.”

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