By Trellin McCoy

On the outskirts of Stockton there lies an indoor sports facility that’s a sanctuary for people of all ages who love sports.

We Play 209 is located on 3252 Tomahawk Drive, under its roof customers are allowed to participate in an array of sports, including soccer, basketball, football, ultimate Frisbee, handball,
indoor hockey and baseball.

We Play 209 is a young business with only 16 months under its belt.
Jason Gonzalez is the owner and creator of this establishment.

“While traveling we always saw all these facilities that we never had. So we wanted to bring something like that unique … to Stockton,” said Gonzalez when asked about what inspired him to open an indoor soccer facility.

This facility stands out to due to the fact Stockton doesn’t have many businesses that allow customers of all ages to participate in their favorite sports in an safe environment.

Outdoor sports can be cancelled due to weather, especially after the wet weather the Stockton area has seen this season. Those days are over in Stockton, since weather isn’t a factor in an indoor facility.

Stockton has had few sports facilities over the years similar to this. Options when it comes to playing cooperative sports in Stockton has been very limited, especially when weather defuses your plans to play on outdoor courts.

Gonzalez said he felt there haven’t been many similar facilities.
“Unfortunately some people in the Stockton community haven’t wanted to invest in the youth,” he said.

We Play 209 isn’t just about having a interactive time with one’s favorite sport. It’s also a place that helps children develop skills in their sport of choice and helps them learn life lessons along the way.

Gonzalez said sports can in the long term be very impactful on an individual by stating in reference to sports “it helps kids in school, as well as life.”

Brandon Gonzalez employee at We Play offers his perspective on the impact of We Play:

Soccer is the most prevalent sport featured at We Play. Indoor soccer differs very much from ordinary soccer to my dismay.

It may seem like soccer surrounded by walls and a roof, but there are numerous of other factors that make indoor soccer a whole other animal. Since it is played on a condensed field it really makes the players hone in on skills.

With less room there becomes less room for errors, which means players have to be even more precise and focus on the fundamentals of the game.

It’s not the only thing at We Play, there’s always something to occupy visitors.

If you find yourself waiting for a match to end you could tune into Sportscenter or throw some quarters into the Pac Man machine. On Friday nights it’s not uncommon for food trucks to set up outside with delicious meals that really hit the spot after hours of constant movement.

Playing sports is one of the best ways to build cooperation among peers and learn life lessons along the way. We Play 209 is one of the few places that instruct this across all sports, rather than just one particular sport.

For more information about We Play 209, visit weplay209.com.