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Sports Planning Guide
SportsPlanningGuide.com
Sports Planning Guide
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MARLBOROUGH, MA Top-Flight Facilities 1. New England Sports Center Sports: Hockey and ice skating This 300,000-square-foot indoor skating facility is home to eight full-sized rinks and two studio rinks, making it the largest indoor skating venue in North America. The New England Sports Center has an impressive number of heated viewing areas totaling 35,000 square feet. The venue also has over 75 locker rooms, hockey pro shop, ice skate sharpening and rentals, function rooms, arcade, full-service restaurant, and snack bar.
2. Fore Kicks Sports: Soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball, futsal, pickleball, ultimate frisbee, lacrosse, flag football, baseball, softball and golf This multi-sport facility is New England’s first indoor and outdoor sports complex. The indoor Megaplex building is 135,000 square feet and houses seven indoor sports fields, which feature state-ofthe-art synthetic-grass turf, artificial non-rubber infill turf surface and Olympic-quality Taraflex gym court/futsal courts. The complex also has two outdoor synthetic-grass turf fields of 115 x 65 yards, which are fully lighted. The outdoor fields are lined for two 8 v 8 soccer fields or four 6 v 6 soccer fields. The complex is also home to an eight-bay indoor golf driving range and a new weight room, cardio and strength fitness center.
3. Williams Street Baseball Fields Sports: Baseball/softball The home of the Marlborough Youth Baseball Association and the host of the weeklong Cal Ripken New England Regional Tournament, this facility has three baseball fields, two batting cages and two fully enclosed bullpens.
4. Special Olympics of Massachusetts Sports: All Special Olympics of Massachusetts is home to the Yawkey Sports Training Center, a 25,000-square-foot office and training facility. The center houses one full-sized gymnasium and a 40 x 30 yard soccer field. The Yawkey Sports Training Center holds multiple sports competitions and gives training in 26 different sports.
MARLBOROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Meredith Harris, Executive Director 508-229-2010 • mharris@marlboroughedc.com MarlboroughEDC.com
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Marlborough has its finger firmly on the pulse of sports events, offering seven venues. The Crossroads of New England is the place to host your next event.
Things to Do in Marlborough Marlborough has a variety of entertainment and dining options guaranteed to please everyone in your group. Those looking to have some serious fun should visit Marlborough’s newest 475,000-square-foot custom-designed hospitality and entertainment space, Apex Center of New England. Enjoy any number of indoor activities, including kart racing, laser tag, 10-pin and candlepin bowling, ropes course, trampoline park, virtual reality arena, 60-game arcade, golf and sports simulator, indoor playground and swimming pool. The Apex Center also boasts 60,000 square feet of retail space, two newly developed hotels and a wide variety of restaurants for all to enjoy. With Marlborough’s multitude of restaurants, from barbecue at Firefly’s BBQ, to seafood and jazz at Allora Ristorante, your group members are sure to find food that pleases their palates. Anyone interested in theater can go see a show at the Ghost Light Players of Metro West. Those looking for outdoor adventure can visit one of the area’s many nature trails. Ride your bike at Assabet Rail Trail/Bike Path or go bird watching at Cider Knoll Conservation Land. Visit Marlborough’s recently renovated, public Memorial Beach for beautiful beaches, kids playgrounds, basketball courts and much more. For shopping, head over to the Solomon Pond Mall, the only fashion-oriented mall in the second-largest metro-trade area in New England, which hosts 120 stores, a 15-screen Regal Cinemas, and a number of exciting dining options.
Planner Perspective Everyone talks about how great our location is. Marlborough is at a main intersection, connecting all of New England. The city is uniquely positioned to support and connect all business and maximize the region’s assets with its location. —Mary Simone, General Manager-Courtyard Marriott
How to Get to Marlborough Marlborough is 30 miles out from Boston, 35 miles from New Hampshire and 45 miles from Providence, Rhode Island. Nicknamed the “Crossroads of New England”, Marlborough sits at the intersections of Route 20, I-495, I-290 and I-90 for easy access from any direction. Boston Logan International Airport is located 30 miles from Marlborough. Delta, Southwest, American, United and JetBlue airlines all service the airport. Sports Planning Guide
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METROWEST, MA
While MetroWest is known around the world as the starting line for the Boston Marathon, it is also an optimal location for any sports team’s next event.
Some of the best venues in the Northeast 1. New England Sports Center
4. Boston Badminton
Sports: hockey Located on 22.3 acres of suburban land, the two-story, 188,588square-foot New England Sports Center in Marlborough contains ten ice skating rinks, 50 locker rooms, a hockey pro shop, ice skate sharpening, ice skate rentals, function rooms, a full service restaurant and a snack bar, making it the largest ice skating arena in the U.S. Host to the Haydenettes and home to the Skating Club of Boston, Minuteman Flames, Junior Bruins and Becker College hockey teams, there is no better place for hockey teams to host their next tournament.
Sports: badminton Built to promote the growth of badminton in the Greater Boston area, Boston Badminton in Westborough offers teams a worldclass, eight-court facility, training program and several tournaments throughout the year. With a 32-plus-foot ceiling, Boston Badminton also provides Ultralux High Bay lighting with BlueMax lamps, locker rooms with a shower, heating, air-conditioning and 56 parking spaces.
2. New England Baseball Complex Sports: baseball, softball Home to the New England Ruffnecks, the 30-acre New England Baseball Complex in Northborough holds several conferences and tournaments throughout the year for both college-level and youth teams. With three different playing fields, dugouts and concessions, this fully equipped complex has everything you’ll need when looking for that perfect tournament location. The NEBC offers cage rentals to Little League teams, individuals and travel teams and offers discounts to all teams participating in NEBC tournaments.
Lots to do when you're not competing It is no surprise MetroWest is filled with numerous outdoor and recreational activities, including several walking, biking and horseback riding trails. Bay Circuit Trail, a 37-town path extending through various regions of MetroWest, is a great way to spend the day while taking in some of the area’s most scenic pathways. Six state parks offer horseback riding, boating, fishing, cross-country skiing and hiking. With over 7,000 pieces, International World Museum of World War II is home to the most comprehensive collection of original artifacts in the world during this era, making it an obligatory visit for any history buff.
3. Bowditch Athletic and Cultural Complex Sports: tennis, basketball, track, baseball, football Hosting multiple sporting events for three local high schools, two area colleges, various youth leagues and semi-professional teams located within MetroWest, Bowditch Athletic and Cultural Complex in Framingham consists of four tennis courts, two basketball courts, a baseball diamond with spectator seating, a six-lane track and the multi-use playing surface Bowditch Field, which seats 3500.
METRO WEST VISITORS BUREAU Susan Nicholl, Executive Director 508-361-9881 • susan@metrowestvisitors.org MetroWestVisitors.org 8
Sports Planning Guide
How to get to MetroWest Sitting at the crossroads of major interstates, MetroWest can be reached by the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), running from Boston west through the Berkshires and New York. Those coming south from Providence, Rhode Island or north from New Hampshire can reach MetroWest within one hour by I-495. Serving approximately 30 million passengers per year, Logan International Airport in East Boston is the 17th-busiest airport in the U.S., and the best way to reach MetroWest by air. Buses from the airport to Framingham in MetroWest run all day.
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