KALISPELL — A Kalispell mother of two created a new sports space designed to give kids a place to play, practice, and connect with peers year-round.
Malia Monaco founded the Flathead Sports Collective to offer a space for sports programs, practices, and young athletes to spend time with people their own age.
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"Flathead Sports Collective was founded out of my own frustration as a mom," Monaco said. "Not having a place for my kids, and I was realizing that there really is a gap that parents need to be able to have their kids have fun year-round, to be able to practice year-round, and especially for that age group of the eight- to 14-year-olds."
The facility features a full-size sports court, batting cage, and a sports simulator, available to kids for a small fee.
Among the early participants are Monaco's daughter, Ava, and her friend Haley Hartz.
"I like the design of it. It has room for kids to play around, and it has so many sports. It has baseball. It has basketball, the volleyball, and like all the kids' sports," Hartz said.
"I like that there's different options, so if one kid doesn't play that sport, they can play the other sport," Ava Monaco said.
Monaco said the collective is a passion project built largely by her family.
"We did all the work ourselves, so this is really a passion project," Monaco said. "I literally laid the of 2800 square feet of flooring. It's been really a labor of love, and it's been about a 6-month journey to get this off the ground."
Plans for the collective include self-defense classes and team-based programs focused on building physical and mental health.
The Flathead Sports Collective will hold an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Aug. 12.
