New Hilliard field house to provide indoor courts
Facility is 17,000 square feet for basketball, volleyball, more
The Westwood Fieldhouse, a 17,000-square-foot indoor basketball and volleyball venue at 3932 Brown Park Drive in Hilliard, will open at the end of the month.
An open house is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 23, followed by the full opening at 8 a.m. Jan. 31.
The facility will meet a market demand for basketball and volleyball space, said Andy Warnock, managing partner of the Westwood Fieldhouse.
“I think there is a built-up demand for gym space with regulation, quality hardwood surfaces, (and) I wanted to bring that kind of development to Hilliard where it can help fill restaurants and hotels,” Warnock said.
The fieldhouse has four regulation volleyball courts and two regulation basketball courts. It also features a “party room” available for corporate events, family celebrations and other private uses, Warnock said.
For members, the facility will be available at designated times as an open gym, but it typically will be reserved by clubs, organizations or for private events, Warnock said.
Warnock said this week that he and his partners are negotiating with several athletic leagues and organizations interested in using the facility for practice or competitions and several are committed, including the Mid Ohio Pumas, part of the Amateur Athletic Union.
The Mid Ohio Pumas organization has more than 70 boys and girls basketball teams in various age groups that compete in tournaments, Warnock said.
Dave Mirgon, founder of the Mid Ohio Pumas and one of Warnock’s partners in the Westwood Fieldhouse, told Thisweek in September, when Warnock proposed the field house, that “there is a deficit of gym space in central Ohio.”
Columbus Armada H.C. will utilize the facility, as well, Warnock said. According to its Twitter account, @Columbusarmada is Columbus’ professional team handball club.
A recreational youth basketball and volleyball program, i9, also is committed to utilizing the facility, Warnock said, as is Columbus Futsal. According to its Twitter account, @Columbusfutsal is a professional team representing Columbus in the NFPL, the National Futsal Premier League, an indoor five-on-five soccer league.
Orthopedic One is the sports-medicine partner for Westwood Fieldhouse, is providing training and preventative medical treatments for athletes at the
facility, and the Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern is the exclusive caterer for the party room, Warnock said.
Libby Gierach, president and CEO of the Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce , said she expects the community to benefit from the venue.
“The Westwood Fieldhouse fills a need in Hilliard for court space and event space with a sports theme, which will add additional opportunities for our community and visitors,” Gierach said.
The fieldhouse is one of several holdings of Westwood Collective, a real-estate
company Warnock co-founded. Westwood Collective also owns and operates the Junction by Westwood, 5460 Franklin St., and is constructing eight patio homes on Norwich Street, near Linda Drive.
The company’s first project was the development of Legacy Smokehouse, a restaurant at 3897 Main St. that opened in late 2018 but was damaged in a fire in December 2021 and remains temporarily closed. kcorvo@thisweeknews.com @Thisweekcorvo