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Brothers hope Force is with them
(by Bob Jacob - August 19, 2009)
Brothers hope Force is with them
By BOB JACOB
A pair of brothers from Orange Village hopes their investment in two amateur sports facilities in Northeast Ohio fills a void and becomes a big hit.
Greg and Shaw Abrams, who have a background in commercial and industrial real estate, said they saw a need for more youth and adult indoor sports arenas and that is what led them to create Force Indoor Sports, with locations at the former Force Fitness Center, 4505 Northfield Road in Warrensville Heights and the old Racquet Club East, 26555 Richmond Road (Route 175) in Bedford Heights.
"My brother and I were playing in a soccer league at the former Force Fitness Center in February this year," Greg said. "After the game, we were sitting there thinking how we could modernize the facility."
The brothers approached management, a deal was struck and by June 1 they were operators of the facility. They quickly sought another location in the area and did the same thing with management of the old racquet club.
Both facilities were dated, Abrams said, having opened in 1970. The Northfield facility originally opened as Four Seasons Racquet Club. The Northfield Road facility is 68,000 square feet and the Richmond Road facility is 60,000 square feet, Abrams said.
Shaw said, "We intend to bring a quality indoor sports product to the Cleveland area that is much needed."
Greg said he hopes to capitalize on the Chagrin Valley communities because the facilities are just minutes away. The nearest competitors, he said, are in Twinsburg, Warrensville Heights and Willoughby.
"A lot of this business is community driven," Greg said. "What makes us different is the quality of the playing environment, the turf, the lights, everything is state-of-the-art. The basketball hoops can adjust up and down for player development.
"And we'll have heat. Believe it or not, it is a huge thing. Also, safety from a players' and parents' perspective, inside and outside."
Greg said their vision for the facilities is to accomplish something for players, parents and coaches.
"For players, there's better lighting, the best turf and safest facility," he said. "For parents, we provide a place they can sit and watch a game, have a drink and surf the Internet. For coaches, we'll keep it as efficient as possible, with field setup and goal setting. We approached it from all three sides, as a parent, a coach and a player."
The brothers are no strangers to the concept. Shaw, 34, has two young children and played soccer and hockey as a youth, while Greg, 39, has three young children.
Greg was a four-year soccer player at the University of Denver in Colorado, participated in the 2009 International Maccabiah Games in Israel and briefly played professional soccer in Washington, D.C.
The brothers' slogan of "Bringing Outdoor Sports In" means they will offer soccer, lacrosse, futsal, baseball, basketball, flag football, softball and tennis. There are men's and women's locker rooms, a snack bar and a children's play area.
Greg said in addition to offering leagues and clinics, they hope some school districts and recreation departments in the Chagrin Valley would use the facilities.
"We'll be running our own programs, and people will be coming in running their own programs," he said. "Many Chagrin Valley communities have expressed an interest."
A grand-opening weekend is scheduled for Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5 to 7 with open houses and giveaways from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at both locations.
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