FieldHouse Sports in Bow was always a major focal point for athletics in the Bow and Concord communities. It’s where 6-year-olds learned how to play soccer, older kids kept their skills sharp in the winter and adults mixed sports into their busy lives.

But it’s been nearly a year since the facility closed its doors, severely impacting athletics in the area.

Don Hubbard, the president of the Bow Soccer Club, said they’d have anywhere from 14 to 18 teams that would play there during the offseason; now, only about half of their teams play indoor soccer in the winter.

“Definitely has something to do with (FieldHouse closing), for sure,” Hubbard said. “With FieldHouse, it was just easier. The location was just crazy convenient, especially for Bow.”

Now the closest indoor facilities with the space to accommodate this type of activity are the AutoFair SportsDome complexes, with locations in Goffstown and Hooksett. But that’s at least 15 to 20 minutes further away for many families.

“You go from having a place that was literally in your backyard to not really being able to send anybody anywhere,” said Jared Bland, the president of the Bow Athletic Club. “That’s kind of where we’re feeling the impact. A lot of people are trying to figure out where to go now.”

Looking for space to play

Kids that used to play at the FieldHouse with Bow Soccer Club now tend to play in Hooksett or Goffstown or just don’t play indoor soccer anymore, Hubbard said.

Indoor soccer has always been a useful tool to allow those most passionate about the sport to hone their skills when fields are unplayable in the late fall and winter. At the FieldHouse, it was also a great environment to allow younger players chances to learn the ins and outs of the game in a more controlled setup.

It’s too early to know the long-term impacts of FieldHouse’s closure on soccer in Bow. Will fewer kids play soccer? Does talent drop off because of the lack of a convenient training facility?

The most committed athletes will likely be more than happy to make the extra 15-minute drive to Hooksett or Goffstown, but what about those who were more inclined to take advantage of the convenience just to play with their friends?

“As soon as things start to become an inconvenience, that’s when parents are going to start shutting down,” Bland said. “If it’s a 45-minute drive versus a five-minute drive, the parent is going to maybe not think twice about doing the five-minute drive, but if it’s a 45-minute drive, maybe Johnny doesn’t want to play indoor soccer that badly this season.”

There’s also the added level of uncertainty with needing to find a new facility to play at. Many families whose kids played at the FieldHouse had used the facility for years, knew how they operated and what to expect from competition. Other places might run things a bit differently.

“You don’t know what kind of competition you’re going to get, you don’t know if they’re going to have fair leagues, you don’t know if teams are going to be comparable, you don’t know if you’re going to overpower these teams,” Bland said. “You don’t really know what you’re getting into because you’re walking into a completely different event.”

The SportsDome

Joel Hatin opened the first SportsDome in Hooksett four years ago. He couldn’t fully anticipate how popular of a location it would become.

With 80,000-square-foot fields at the two facilities, they’ll run 7-on-7, 9-on-9 and full 11-on-11 soccer. They also host lacrosse leagues, baseball, softball, field hockey, rugby, ultimate frisbee and cricket.

“You name it,” Hatin said, “if it’s playable on turf, we can do it.”

The SportsDome welcomes athletes from as young as 3 and 4 years of age learning to play soccer to seniors who play in a softball league.

While not all users of FieldHouse Sports have since migrated to the SportsDome, Hatin’s seen an uptick from the area, especially for soccer leagues.

“We saw an increase almost immediately,” he said. “This year, it’s been an even bigger increase for us, both on the youth and on the adult side.”

The setup is a bit different at the SportsDome. Whereas FieldHouse Sports had one multi-sport field for soccer, basketball and volleyball and three turf fields, each SportsDome location has one massive, FIFA regulation-size turf field, enough to host four or five teams for practices at once.

Just half of a field, Hatin said, is enough space to play two separate adult league softball games.

And beyond their services for youth and adult sports, Hatin’s also looking at working with some local colleges like Southern New Hampshire University and Saint Anselm College.

“We’re working hard with the local colleges as well, because we really feel that with what we do, we could become a recruiting tool if the colleges partnered up with us,” Hatin said. “In order to grow your program, you’re going to have to show these kids not only where they’re going to play their games but where they’re going to train, and it needs to be world-class. That’s what we’re trying to deliver.”

Still a big void

In addition to indoor soccer, lacrosse and other youth sports, FieldHouse Sports had also been a convenient location for high school teams to play on turf during periods of inclement weather and in preparation for playoff games on turf fields.

The Bow Parks and Recreation Department would also use the facility for daycare classes and programming along those lines, Bland said.

While the SportsDome surely serves its purpose and has drawn people from all over to compete in a variety of sports, the impact of FieldHouse Sports’ closure continues to ripple through the Bow and Concord athletic communities.

“It’s a big convenience loss,” Bland said. “I think everybody’s kind of feeling it disappearing.”