MUSCATINE, Iowa — Alexander Wadden was having a great time kicking a football through imaginary goal posts on a snowy afternoon last month in this community.
He’s a former high school football team kicker who is trying to stay connected with the sport by building a personal fitness program centered around kicking. “Today, I’m trying to make six PATs (point after touchdown) in a row. I’m working on consistency,” he said.
But instead of being outside in the blanket of snow, he was kicking inside a warm, comfortable environment — the new MUSCO Sports Center.
The 122,000-square-foot, 87-foot-tall dome — the largest inflatable sports dome in Iowa — opened two months ago to rave reviews from the public. Since the Nov. 1 opening, it has hosted baseball and softball games, soccer matches, volleyball games, lots of pickleball games on its six courts, gymnastics events, people walking laps and even the guy kicking imaginary field goals and extra points.
“There’s a lot of opportunities in having a wide open space out here. … People love this place,” said Nick Gow, assistant director of parks and recreation for the City of Muscatine, which is the MUSCO Sports Center’s owner.
And people have been showing up by the thousands to enjoy the sports facility. For instance, about 400 people a day were visiting the facility in late December, added Mr. Gow.
Many of those hundreds of people crowd into the sports dome during the free admission open hours. Every weekday, the center has free hours from 8-10 a.m. and from 3-5 p.m.
Since the sports center opened, the dome has been open seven days a week. In general, the dome is open for public use during the weekdays, and most weekends it has been reserved for various sporting events. In fact, as of late December, the sports center already was booked up on the weekends through April.
“People just keep telling me it’s a great addition to the community. … They love the free time here,” said Ashley Small, the center’s supervisor.
Another person who really loves the sports dome is Miguel Torres. The Muscatine man told the QCBJ he had been in the sports center almost every day since it opened. On a Tuesday afternoon last month, he was there practicing his soccer goalie skills — blocking kicked ball after ball from going into the net.
“The staff is friendly. The turf is good. It’s just a really nice place to play,” he said.
Economic impact
While the MUSCO Sports Center is, indeed, a nice place to play, the new facility also is helping improve Muscatine’s economic development.
Mr. Gow said that economic impact can be seen through the 12 park and recreation department employees who work in the sports center. But the biggest impacts are just beginning to be added up. That will be seen through the many visitors the center attracts to Muscatine, and the money those visitors spend at its restaurants, retail shops and hotels.
That impact won’t just be a winter months boon when people are looking for a warm place to play. Mr. Gow said the sports dome also will play a big role in the spring and summer months. During rainy, stormy or very hot summer weather, the dome will be the place that attracts visitors with its climate-controlled conditions for big games and events.
“We’re going to bring in a lot of people with this center,” he added.
The sports dome also will attract business community support. In the coming weeks, a series of sponsorship banners will be placed inside the sports center. A banner for The Merrill Hotel is already in the center.
The main playing field inside the sports center also shows business community sponsorship with a MUSCO logo in the middle of the artificial turf field.
One of the walls of the sports center boasts a video board that can be used to display sponsorship names and other messages.
Tourism driver
“This facility builds on Muscatine’s strong tradition of outdoor sports tourism, which already draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually,” said Dr. Brad Bark, Muscatine mayor and president and CEO of the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “By offering year-round indoor options, we’re keeping teams and families here longer, boosting spending at our hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and shops instead of losing that activity to other communities.”
“It’s a direct win for our small businesses and local economy,” he told the QCBJ.
He added that Muscatine County saw $61.4 million in direct tourism spending in 2024, before the Musco Sports Center opened. “So we look forward to seeing significant improvements in the economic impact for the future,” he said.
Dr. Bark and other Muscatine economic development officials said the new sports center will have a great impact on the community. Some of that impact includes:
High demand: Fully booked weekends through spring 2026; average 370 daily users, with surges during tournaments.
Year-round tourism boost: Extends Muscatine’s established outdoor sports events into winter, attracting out-of-town visitors and increasing local spending on lodging, dining, and retail.
Baseline for growth: Muscatine County recorded $61.4 million in direct tourism spending in 2024 (pre-Musco Sports Center), providing a strong foundation; future reports are expected to show notable increases from the center’s contributions.
Broader growth: Expected to spur new hotels, restaurants, and amenities and build on Muscatine County’s strong tourism base (with direct spending rising in recent years).
Community investment: Public-private funding model designed for sustained economic activity through hotel nights, events, and multiplier effects.
Alexander Wadden is shown inside the new MUSCO Sports Center in Muscatine, Iowa. CREDIT DAVE THOMPSON
Future development, events
In addition to sponsorship banners, the facility’s future will center around many community and sporting events. Some of those events will be community celebrations with bounce houses for kids. Others will be new sporting events.
Mr. Gow said one such event that is being considered is chair volleyball, which is an adapted version of volleyball where players stay seated in chairs, using lighter balls and a lower net on a small court. The activity — popular with seniors — focuses on body movement, quick reflex and socialization.
He added that many future events could be determined by the wishes of the public. He hopes to hear and see feedback from the public in the coming months concerning their views on the sports center and what activities they want to see in the new facility. “This is their sports center; it’s not the parks and rec department sports center,” he added.
Richard Klimes, Muscatine’s director of parks and recreation, said he wants the community to enjoy the new facility.
“I would say that the MUSCO Sports Center was designed and built for the entire community to have an opportunity to enjoy. That includes the local citizens with free times and availability for drop in usage to scheduled pickleball and volleyball combined with the many turf sports activities that can be played. But also, the facility was built to support the local business community with the many visitors and guests that will be coming to Muscatine to either play or watch their favorite sports activities and or social events. Please come out and tour the facility and benefit from all that it has to offer each citizen,” Mr. Klimes added.
For the time being, anyway, the new sports center is a great place for people in the community to practice their soccer goalie skills, and for kicking field goals.
“I grew up in the middle of nowhere and I was kicking balls into trees. … Now, I get to kick balls in this great place,” said Mr. Wadden.
