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Enjoy a Wide World of Sports in Marshalltown

Town features an array of great facilities for youth sports and athletic-focused tourism.

By Cary Estes on August 11, 2022

Marshalltown High School Roundhouse in Iowa
Jeff Adkins

Marshalltown has built itself up over the years as an ideal location for youth sports and athletic-centered tourism. And when needed, it has rebuilt as well.

The region has become a popular place to hold sports tournaments and events involving teams from throughout the state and beyond. This is partly due to the number of top-notch facilities in the area capable of accommodating a variety of sports, including basketball, volleyball, swimming and tennis.

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Marshalltown High School’s iconic Roundhouse domed gymnasium, which opened in 1965, also recently underwent a major renovation. It now contains a nearly 13,000-square-foot wrestling center, two basketball courts, batting and golf cages, and a climbing wall.

One of Marshalltown’s oldest venues is, at least partly, now one of the newest. Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which dates to 1929, was heavily damaged by a tornado in 2018. But it reopened in 2021 after a $4 million renovation with two basketball courts, three volleyball courts, six pickleball courts and two shuffleboard courts.

“Not having that building available had a really big impact on the community,” says Geoff Hubbard, Marshalltown Parks & Recreation director. “In the first year back, we exceeded our revenue (projections) for concessions and rentals. The community has been using it way more than we were expecting.”

Marshalltown High School recently added 12 new tennis courts.
Jeff Adkins

Courts Are Calling in Marshalltown

In addition, Marshalltown High School recently added 12 new tennis courts and three pickleball courts for use by both students and residents. Several multistate tournaments have been held on the tennis courts, and the nonprofit Bobcat Tennis Academy can now accommodate approximately 100 youth participants.

“Our old courts were about 45 years old, and we couldn’t have more than 15 to 20 kids (participate in the Academy),” says MHS tennis coach James Christensen. “We have some really nice golf courses and trails around here, and now our tennis facility is topnotch as well.”

Marshalltown Community College has a 40,000-square-foot Student Activity Center that includes a basketball/volleyball court with seating for up to 1,500 spectators. There also are complexes throughout the area for soccer, baseball, softball, football and futsal.

And there is the old favorite, the YMCA-YWCA complex, which has facilities for basketball, volleyball, pickleball and racquetball, as well as an eight-lane pool with seating for approximately 1,700.

“We host several large sports events every year,” YMCA-YWCA CEO Carol Hibbs says. “The Y is also a community hub. It serves a great need in Marshalltown as a place where people can come together and recreate and have fun.”

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