The Wheeling Park Oglebay Tennis Bubble

The Wheeling Park Oglebay Tennis Bubble

This week’s dome spotlight shines on another brand new bubble, this one in Wheeling Park. Never heard of Wheeling Park or wondering why it matters? Well here’s a short rundown with everything you need to know about this new indoor tennis bubble.

Wheeling Park is a park aptly named for the city it sits in, Wheeling, West Virginia. The park itself is a 406-acre space with just about everything you could think of for outdoor activities. With amenities for golf, miniature golf, swimming, waterslides, a skating rink, an outdoor theatre, and plenty of open green space for anything sport or activity you can think of. The park is also a popular spot for tennis, both indoor and outdoor.

Tennis in the area, like in many areas across America, is surging in popularity. The Wheeling-Oglebay Tennis Club, a local tennis organization, organizes recreational tennis programs and events for tennis players of all ages in the Wheeling community. While players enjoy the outdoor courts in the summer, when winter rolls around, the local players move their game indoors, into their tennis bubble.

The old bubble had been in operation for 16 years. Beginning to show its age, it was time for a fresh, updated air dome.

The Farley Group fabricated a new tennis dome to meet the needs of the players, and be a true upgrade over the old facility. This dome, measuring 202 feet long, 118 feet wide, and 40 feet tall, has about 24,000 unobstructed square feet of space. Enough room for three full size courts.

In order to make this dome as green as possible, a number of energy saving technologies were used. The dome is completely insulated to help keep the warm air inside, cutting down on heating costs. The electric bill is kept even lower by using LED lights. LED lights use only a fraction of the electricity of other lighting systems but still keep the dome as bright as it is outdoors.

The bubble held a grand opening less than two weeks ago at an event hosted by the Wheeling Park Commission and the Wheeling Oglebay Tennis Club.

Now that the tennis bubble is open, the courts can be booked for any day all winter long. The club also has fall/winter junior tennis clinics that will be moving indoors. It’s much easier to learn and play when you don’t have to worry about bundling on extra layers to stay warm.

This tennis bubble is just one of the many new bubbles that we’ve installed (and will install) this season. If you want to keep up to date on all the new and exciting Farley domes as they go up, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and keep an eye on this blog for news, tips, and general information about air supported structures and the sports played inside of them!