In August of 2007 the owner and builder of the Gorham Sports Center, Stephen Martin, began to explore the possibilities of turning the indoor turf field into a non-profit enterprise.
Martin founded a board of local coaches and businessmen who were interested in this community resource.
In February of last year the facility was purchased at auction and in July Yourspace officially hit the books as a non-profit.
Yourspace is an indoor turf field lined for soccer but also caters to almost any outdoor sport.
This $3.3 million facility is in prime condition. Compared to other indoor sports facilities in Maine, like Portland Sports Complex, Yourspace is the newest field with the least amount of use.
However, its most significant difference to other indoor sporting facilities is the fact that it is a certified non-profit.
The Yourspace dome is able to offer lower prices than other facilities and has become a community resource in Gorham.
In their first year, Yourspace finished in the black and had a more successful year, finance-wise, than any other year that the facility was open.
Yourspace has plans to expand the operation to better serve the community – some of these plans include outdoor fields and locker rooms.
Where has USM been in all of this?
So far USM has existed all too separately from the Yourspace facility.
The USM field house is only 1.5 miles from Yourspace.
Coach Mike Keller of the USM Men’s Soccer Program has been working with the Yourspace board and organized spring training for the Men’s Soccer Program in exchange for volunteer work. The USM Men’s Soccer players will help Yourspace run and advertise for a youth soccer tournament fundraiser.
What can this facility offer USM Athletics?
Yourspace is a lined soccer field with a center drop net that separates the field into two smaller fields.
Yourspace also offers ample space and equipment (including a pitching machine and nets) for lacrosse, field hockey, football, rugby, baseball, softball, and they even have an archer who trains in the facility.
The center becomes of particular interest to USM during these tough economic times. With plans for a multi-purpose turf-field simmering, the field offers a better altnerative than practicing on the less-realistic surfaces of the field house.
St. Joe’s lacrosse team currently trains there and the USM soccer teams trained at Yourspace on days when the weather wasn’t ideal and even days when the field just needed a break.
Adam Sturtevant, of the Yourspace board, said “We would like to work more with USM in the future, we always try to work with the student athletes.”
Sturtevant has been with the board since the beginnings of Yourspace and shared that he sees the potential for USM intramural sports to offer programs at the Yourspace facility, maybe some of you have already participated in Ultimate Frisbee at Yourspace.
The board is looking forward to working with students and can offer “very attractive student rates.” Plus, Yourspace’s peak times are between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m., meaning that, during other times, students have ample time to get in their off-season workouts or other events that necessitate the space and accomodations of the building.
Check out the Yourspace website at www.yourspacemaine.com or call them at (207)839-6767.