Essex Sports Center — Local services in Middleton

The facility is a nightmare for spectators. Parking when the complex is busy is minimal. Beware, the next closest location is the local sheriff's office--parking in their lots will garner a fine.

Basketball facilities are temporary and require spectators to crowd together at one end of the courts. Further, the flow of foot traffic passes between onlookers in the scant bandstands and the courts. A well-attended game will require standing or binoculars to observe a match.

There is one entrance to the field/basketball courts, and pedestrians pass through the portal single-file when going in and out. When the door becomes jammed with people, spectators must navigate a line of people between them and the playing surface to see what's happening.

I found my experience at Essex Sports Center wildly frustrating and, at times, unsafe. Beware if you have a...

Essex Sports Center Review – Where Hoops Meet Heatstroke

Ah, Essex Sports Center—where dreams are made, ankles are broken (on the court, hopefully), and the temperature competes with the sun for dominance.

My kid played basketball here today. Lets start with the heat. I'm not saying it was hot, but if Dante had written a sequel to Inferno, Essex would’ve been one of the circles. Pretty sure I saw mirages forming around the three-point line. Maybe it’s part of their training regimen: if you can hoop in hell, you can hoop anywhere.

Still, the kids had a blast, and I didn't have to pay for a sauna session—because apparently, it came complimentary with the building.

1 star: bring water, sunscreen, and maybe a fire...

UNFINISHED and Large ! It was only 2 days old when I went for the first time . I have been there many times though out the years and the place is slowly falling apart .

AFTER TWO YEARS ......

UPDATE ! : THE manigament has not done anything to the building nor kept up with maintenance. They will not turn on the gas heat for the seating area . There are holes in the walls and the paint is is falling off the walls , water stains on the walls , stair railing loose and unsafe. At this pace this place will be a dump in ten years ! It will end up just like the...