Frank DeLuca YMCA inaugurates new sportsplex

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Posted September 15, 2021 | Ocala Gazette Staff

The Frank DeLuca YMCA held the grand opening of their new Sportsplex Center on Wednesday.

The outdoor athletic venue features a multipurpose covered “airnasium” available for basketball and volleyball. Four pickleball courts were also inaugurated and featured prominently in the grand opening. Guest lobbed pickleball onto the courts to signal the official opening.

There is also more to come. Three additional soccer fields are scheduled to open in a few months. Later phases will include a 2,000-square-foot youth activity center, outdoor restrooms and expanded parking.

The new facility was paid for through donations and cost $2.5 million. DeLuca donated $1 million to the effort. It is his second $1 million gift to the local facility. A local car dealer and YMCA supporter, DeLuca has often spoken about how he visited a local YMCA as a teen and how sports helped him growing up. 

“We all have certain organizations that are important to each of us in different ways, however, our children are probably the most important to all of us. By leaving a legacy in the Y we are helping assure the future of our children, that is why I continue to invest in the YMCA and this project expansion,” DeLuca said in a prepared statement.

In addition to providing more space for sports, the YMCA also hopes to use the new facility for camps and exercise classes.

The local YMCA has been serving Marion County community for more than 30 years. As part of the YMCA of Central Florida, the family center offers programs intended to fight chronic disease, boost children’s after-school safety and learning and strengthen neighborhoods.