USA Volleyball team’s California home abruptly closes down after 15 years: ‘We made every mistake’

Game over.

California sports company Open Gym Premier has abruptly closed its Anaheim facility after 15 years of operation, CEO Matt Kanne announced this week.

The facility was used for training by the USA Volleyball team, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and more.

“Today is the last day for these courts in Anaheim that were laid down in 2003. Our offices will remain, but the facility is gone. The memories are not. Neither is the impact,” Kanne wrote in a social media statement.

“There is sadness in the emptiness of this place, but even more gratitude for what it meant and what was built here.”

The Anaheim facility featured nine basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, a full-service café, and a retail store. In a photo slideshow, the company shared a photo of the late Kobe Bryant training there.

Kanne reflected on the facility’s 2011 opening, saying “We made every mistake. There were flops, bad ideas… but we just kept going.”

The company also operates two youth basketball leagues out of its facilities. Open Gym Premier ran over 500 tournaments and 700 player camps at the facility over the years, according to its announcement.

The local sports community was devastated by the closure.

“So many great memories in this gym. Sad to see the doors close. Thank you for everything,” one coach wrote in the comments.

“I have so many fond memories watching my daughter play volleyball from eighth grade on up through her high school career. New friends were created and so many memories will never be forgotten,” another wrote.

“So sad to see this chapter close…we had the best times at this gym and will miss this facility so much,” a third commenter wrote.

The sports company also operates a facility in Oakland with four basketball courts, and a facility in Ladera Ranch with eight basketball and volleyball courts.

“We knew this day would come,” the Anaheim closure announcement continued. “What we didn’t realize was that more valuable than any replacement facility was the grit we developed over 16 years in Anaheim.”

In 2022, Open Gym Premier Anaheim was named one of the top workplaces in the county by the Orange County Register. At the time, the facility had 75 employees.

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