Breckon Sports Center

Breckon Sports Center is the athletic facility at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Twin 130-feet (39.6 m) diameter domes provide a full competition court with seating for 1200 and a practice gym for soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, volleyball, and golf. Park University is unique in that a substantial amount of the school is underground.

The two domes have 13,270 square feet (1232 m²) each with a conventional connector and also include locker rooms, offices, and administration. The dome often hosts American Midwest Conference championships in both basketball and volleyball.

Park University wanted a gym that would have the same even temperature controls that the rest of the university enjoys. Athletic Director Claude English said, “We now have a facility to practice in. No more cancellations because of bad weather. It’s wonderful because we have terrible winters. It’s been a dream come true.”

Breckon Sports Center, “The Breck,” sits at one of the entrances to Park University’s underground campus. In 1981 the University needed to expand and decided to hire a mining company to quarry the limestone under their feet, going underground for not only the university expansion but also providing space for private companies as well. “By hiring a local mining company to blast deep into the hill on which the college sat for a century, Park gained space and turned profits selling the rock,” wrote Rick Montgomery of the Kansas City Star.

Park University serves over 11,000 students on two campuses, one in Parkville, Missouri, and the other in Gilbert, Arizona, as well as campus centers across the United States.