After falling into disrepair, an indoor sports facility in Irondequoit has been brought back to life.
Justin Conno, president of the Irondequoit Soccer Club, looks forward to bringing his teams to practice in the brand new Irondequoit Sports Center this October.
“If you had seen it before, you’d know how much he must have invested in this," Connor said. "It’s amazing, and I kept popping by periodically to check on it, and I was amazed at how quickly things turned around.”
The complex opened Saturday after being bought by Greg Genrich and renovated for three months.
“We live in Rochester, New York so six months out of the year it’s either raining, cold or snowing," Genrich said. "And so by taking the facility over and making those changes, we feel like we’re offering one of the safest facilities in Rochester.”
The old indoor facility was in such a state of disrepair, the soccer club could no longer use it for practice.
“There was like holes in the ceiling so when it was raining, water was coming in. When it was snowing, there’d be snow in here," 10-year-old player Joey Yanosh said. "There were always squirrels and stuff in here.”
Had the complex not re-opened in Irondequoit, Connor would’ve been forced to move practices to Henrietta.
“Being able to stay here in Irondequoit is ideal. It’s just great for our families to not have to travel as far, it’s easier for the kids to get to,” Connor said.
The Irondequoit Sports Center celebrated their grand opening with a canned food drive.
“We asked them to bring a canned good, something to donate to the Irondequoit Food Cupboard for community service," Ashley Genrich, assistant director of operations said. "It’s just something to give back to the community as a token of our appreciation.”
Connor loves what Genrich did with the place with a new, state-of-the-art turf installed. It also features an upstairs family viewing area and climate control.
“It’s amazing. I don’t even recognize the place, compared to the way it was. This turf, the paint, the new netting. The heat, we can’t wait for the heat,” Connor added.
And players can’t wait to practice either.
“It’s amazing, it looks awesome," Yanosh said. "I’ve never really been able to play on new turf before, so I think I’m going to be playing on this turf."
Clubs or other teams interested in reserving the space can contact Genrich at 210-3536.