A Sports Destination Grows in Brooklyn
For many people, the ideal place for recreation is something resembling the traditional country club: an exclusive estate where a family can while away a free day through by exercising or relaxing however they please. While New Yorkers have long travelled into Long Island and Westchester County to enjoy these amenities, a new alternative has emerged where one might not expect, the dense, urban streets of modern Brooklyn. Within a state-of-the-art 120,000 square foot facility in Coney Island, MatchPoint NYC is bringing everything one might desire from a suburban country club – from a cutting edge gym to a junior Olympic swimming pool, indoor tennis courts and more – under a single roof. Coney Island and its environs have long been something of a destination for fun-seekers throughout New York, who have sought out its attractions for over a century, but South Brooklyn has developed over time into one of New York’s most diverse and fascinating neighborhoods, playing host to families that have been in Brooklyn for generations as well as recent immigrants. Having played an important role in changing South Brooklyn landscape in the last decade, co-founders Dmitry Druzhinsky and Nino Muhatasov bonded over a love for the community and sports. A proud resident of South Brooklyn, Druzhinsky was active in the neighborhood through his work as a devel- oper as well as his philanthropic activities, which involved sponsoring young promising players. Muhatasov had been a professional tennis player and coach. Together, they wanted to create the top athletics center in Brooklyn – if not all New York. Muhatasov’s experience travelling the professional tennis circuit proved advantageous. “I’ve spent time inside thousands of sports facilities and tennis clubs,” he says. “Dmitry and I took the best elements, and kept out all the bad ones.” The result has proven a magnet for tennis lovers throughout the New York area and beyond – recent guest coaches have included former WTA no.1 Dinara Safina and current pro Aleksandr Nedovyesov. The partners wanted to make sure that MatchPoint had something to offer the entire family. Accordingly, kids can take tennis or gymnastic lessons, learn self-defense, or play pick-up basketball on one of the center’s many courts while their parents either exercise – by swimming laps or working out with a personal trainer – or relax in a lounge or sauna. “We wanted to build a place where you would be happy to spend the whole day,” Druzhinsky explains. They have plans to further expand its role in the community. This September, kids will begin spending their time at MatchPoint as part of a new after school program. But MatchPoint is also looking to expand beyond its home turf. Immediately upon opening in December 2013, MatchPoint enrolled 300 children in its athletic programs and drew 500 members for its gym. Since then, the numbers have grown to 1800 kids and 8000 members, and show no signs of slowing down. Shortly, a second location opened in Mill Basin, and a third is planned for Bensonhurst, but Druzhinsky and Muhatasov plan to go beyond the borough, hoping to open in both Manhattan and Miami within the next two years. “You could have one in every major city,” the latter explains. “It’s a concept that works.”