McCook Athletic & Exposition — Attraction in Lyons Township

This review is only for the Upper Gym as a basketball court - not for anything isn’t he rest of the complex. Quite possibly the worst court I have ever been on. The gym has approximately 2 feet between the lines and wall. We were there for a game and they had put a line of folding chairs against one side for spectators and folding soft benches (like are used for outdoor sports) for players on the other side of the court. The scorers’ table was against the wall overhanging the court and scorer and scoreboard operator sat next to the table. And player substituting into the game had to walk on the court to get to the coach and scorer’s table. Anyone sitting on the sidelines had their feet on the court. This creates a very dangerous situation for players. They couldn’t even stand out of bounds to pass the ball in, the referee actually said the words, “Don’t worry about the sideline.”

The other issue with this space is the court itself. The floor at first glance appears to be decent quality wood. The problem is that it seems to have been installed on top of a sponge. I have never felt a floor that was entirely dead. An over inflated ball barely bounced on it and you could actually feel the floor flex as players ran past. It also seems to have been cleaned improperly or coated with something that left an odd sticky film over the entire floor.

The rest of the facility looked very nice and if I was there to play soccer on the turf fields, I’d be thrilled. But I am dreading the next time I need to take my team there to play basketball. I would seriously reconsider ever using the Upper Gym for any kind of basketball game - I would certainly never pay a dime for it. Maybe it’s ok for a practice, but one of the worst courts ever if you need to play basketball in the Upper Gym. The Max should be embarrassed to even use that space...

Poor design & poor service... The stadium didn't have appropriate seating, therefore, expect to stand by a railing with poles and netting obstructing your view. I missed the only goal that mattered trying to look around the pole! The concession stand served cold, stale Home Run Inn pizza and Hershey's candy bar that was soft on the verge of melting and all this after waiting for the lady to end her personal call. She informs you that they don't support the vending machines if you lose money there and proceeded to give me a few ripped dollar bills (when I asked her for change) which I couldn't use in the vending machine. No problems with vending machines... drinks, snacks, and ice cream except only one takes card and the others $1 bills and change. Spent $23 for 2 good sodas from concessions and 2 ice cream bars...

Huge space! Very bright and open. Easy to find & has ample parking. Restrooms were clean & concession stand had the usual food & drink. Huge upstairs viewing area. We were there for.a volleyball tournament, while 2 soccer games were being played in the facility on full size fields! What sets this place apart is the upstairs restaurant - Alta Grill. When you have a 2 hour break between matches oh, it was so great to sit down in a nice bar and grill and have lunch rather than resort to a hot dog, nachos or a slice of pizza. It looks like they have fun events on the weekends also. I could use a little bit more bleachers, but all in all this is a...