Roberts Stadium Proposal #7: An Indoor Recreational Center

This idea was emailed to me by Sylvia Trabits-Niemeier...

"I thought of bike riding and roller bladding at the top floor and at the ground floor tennis and a putting for golf and an area for pitch and catch. On the top floor would also be stores to sell sporting items. This would all be open to the public for a small fee. The idea is if a family goes to Wesselman park for the day and if the weather gets nasty they can go to the stadium and still do activities together; the day is not ruined."

To me, this plan is great because it satisfies three core ideas that I think can work for Roberts Stadium: 1. A public/community use 2. A place where small businesses can set up shop & 3. A place where recreational sports can occur.

Have you ever been to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, home of the Florida Gators? Known as " The Swamp," Ben Hill Griffin Stadium regularly draws over 90,000 fans on college football Saturdays. Normally for a stadium that big, it is closed up, locked up, and shut down to the public on non-game days. This is not the case for The Swamp. The Swamp is open on non gamedays and set up like a traditional park where hours are sunrise to sunset and joggers can jog around the entire stadium, students can relax on the bleachers in the seating area, and fans can visit the area behind the sidelines and field when they ordinarily wouldn't without having to pay a hefty price for a ticket.

I had the privilege of visiting the legendary and historic stadium on a non event day back in 2009, and I am very thankful for that opportunity. The visit has gotten me to thinking, wouldn't this be a great permanent use for Roberts Stadium? Wouldn't it be nice to go inside the stadium to relax, walk, or jog on rainy days? And wouldn't it be the perfect compliment to its natural surroundings? I think the answer to all three of these questions is yes, which is why I believe the city should consider installing a walkway around the main level of the stadium and leaving it open to the public.

Sylvia also had a great idea of placing recreational sports on the floor level which I found similar to my third proposal (http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/09/roberts-stadium-proposal-3-rock.html). The Evansville Visitors & Convention Bureau has stated that they would like to see recreational sports such as handball, tennis, and basketball thrive at Wesselman Park. Why not put these activities on the historic floor of Roberts Stadium where a roof would allow for athletes to play everyday?


Sylvia then completed her perfect plan by calling for shops to be located around the main level that would be based on sporting equipment and memorabilia. In my previous proposal, I called for a Merchant's Outlet/Flea Market to be located inside the stadium (http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2010/09/roberts-stadium-proposal-6-merchants.html). Sylvia's idea, which is similar to that idea, is even better because most of the shops would be selling equipment that the athletes playing on the floor would need, thus creating an immediate demand.


If you think about Sylvia's plan, you will see a plan that would allow for athletes to play recreational sports everyday rain or shine, you will see an opportunity for joggers, walkers, and sports historians to go inside the stadium anyday of the week to jog, walk, or relax, and you will see an opportunity for small businesses to market their products at a small fee that would pay to keep Roberts Stadium intact. Plus, there would be plenty of land around the stadium to build an aquatics center like an indoor waterpark resort. Sounds like a win-win solution for everyone!