“Sand volleyball takes up a lot of acreage,” Kennard said. “We checked out other places, but it was so much more cost efficient to make something already existing better than to make something fresh.”
Kennard and West forged their business partnership because their combined skillset created what West described as “a good feng shui balance.”
Prior to opening Sports Garden, West owned and operated Champagne Volleyball, the largest adult volleyball league and tournament organization in Dallas. He continues to run that business, but instead of rotating to courts around the metroplex, he holds games at Sports Garden.
“We have pseudonyms for each other. I’m the maestro; he’s the mayor,” Kennard said. “The maestro is behind the scenes orchestrating [and] making sure we pay our taxes [and] hire right. Rob is the mayor walking around shaking hands, kissing babies [and] making sure everyone is happy.”
The duo said they spent thousands of dollars making renovations before opening their doors in February 2016, and they continue making improvements today. Key improvements include adding a courtside bar deck and replacing the halogen court lights with much brighter LED lights.
“We made volleyball ‘spectatable.’ ‘Spectatable’ is not a word; that’s why we like it,” Kennard said. “We wanted this to be a spectator sport. We’re trying to create the Top Golf of volleyball.”
The property sits on nine acres that are split on either side of Belt Line Road and connected by a pathway. There are a total of 22 lit sand volleyball courts, a restaurant and bar, ax throwing lanes, darts, pool, ping-pong and more.
The restaurant features better than typical bar fare, the duo said. There are also menu items for those playing volleyball called “Beach Blends” with lighter options, such as salads and smoothies.
The partners said most of their customers are repeat customers, but they thoroughly enjoy seeing newcomers.
“We know the volleyball crowd; we are the volleyball crowd,” Kennard said. “When we see people we don’t know fall in love with the game, who keep coming back, we know we’re winning.”
The Sports Garden
1850 Belt Line Road, Coppell
469-464-4257
www.sportsgardendfw.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 3 p.m.-midnight,
Sat. 11-1 a.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Entertainment options
The Sports Garden goes beyond sand volleyball and offers other entertainment options, such as food, volleyball games and venue rentals.
Eat There is a full restaurant and multiple bars at The Sports Garden. The menus are extensive and include catering options.
Play Multiple sand volleyball platforms are available, including league, tournament, rent-a-court and open play. The space offers darts, ping-pong, cornhole, ax throwing and more.
Mingle They host a variety of events, including volleyball tournaments, corporate events, dance classes, church socials and more.
