After spending many weekends away from home shuttling children to sports tournaments, a group of Midland parents began to question why their community didn’t have a venue to accommodate similar events. The group formed Midland Athletic Syndicate (MAS), a nonprofit organized around the idea of opening an indoor sports complex in Midland that would allow the city to host large tournaments and provide space for local athletes.
The concept quickly gained support from foundations such as Scharbauer and FMH, and corporate donors including Diamondback, Permian Resources, Pioneer, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips.
On October 2, MAS will break ground on the Diamondback Energy Athletic Complex. The MAS board of directors hired Midland native and former MISD basketball coach Trovocie Jackson as its executive director. Most recently coaching the 2021 and 2022 champion boys basketball team at Burleson Centennial High School, Jackson is happy to be back in his hometown.
“I’m excited to be back in West Texas,” he said, as he took a quick call from Scharbauer Foundation during a week filled with travel to sports venues in the DFW area and to the Dodge Jones Sports Complex in Abilene that inspired the design of the Midland complex.
After visiting the Dodge Jones, MAS engaged Abilene-based engineering firm Jacob Martin to design the local facility. The Midland complex will be approximately 115,000-sf and include six full-size basketball courts that can convert to 12 full-size volleyball courts, and one indoor 5v5 soccer area that can also be used as multi-sport turf space. Nets, scoreboards, etc. will not be attached to the floor, but will be electronically lowered from the ceiling. Jackson mentioned the complex also could be used to host cheer or dance competitions.
“We have the space to legitimately turn this thing into anything we want to,” he said.
The design of the complex places spectators on the second floor cat walk, leaving the first floor court only accessible to athletes, coaches, and officials. Also on the second floor is an outdoor patio space for families and spectators to relax. The facility will include male and female locker rooms and restrooms, players’ lounges, and flex space for meetings and events. Snacks and drinks will be available in a convenience store-type market and the complex will feature a pro shop with items like knee pads, shin guards, and hair ties as well as hats and shirts featuring the Midland Athletic Syndicate brand.
MAS will share parking at the Scharbauer Sports Complex and envisions nearby hotels booked with athletes and their families on weekends when the facility hosts tournaments. Even with construction slated to take 18 months, Jackson said the complex has a tentative calendar with dates filled.
Beyond bringing families to Midland for tournaments, MAS envisions the complex serving all Midlanders. They plan to operate with an “open gym” policy and welcome young athletes without the membership fees often required for access to sports facilities.
“It’s going to offer opportunities to provide some added mentorship for these young boys and girls in the area; establish good, strong, solid relationships so that we can transform a few kids,” Jackson said, noting his passion for impacting kids’ lives through sports. “Let them know that we love them, that they have a safe place to come and burn off some energy.”
The Diamondback Energy Sports Complex is set to open in February 2026.
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