RECOGNITION
The USIndoor Hall of Fame
Honoring the people and organizations whose work built the indoor sports facility industry. Each class is inducted at the annual Sport Facility Conference & Expo.
About the Hall of Fame
Since its inaugural class in 2022, the Hall of Fame has recognized the founders, operators, builders and association leaders who turned indoor sports into an industry. In 2026 the Hall expanded to honor organizations for the first time, recognizing companies whose reach has shaped facilities and communities across the country.
The first class inducted in 2022
9 inductees to date
2 organizations inducted
Inducted at the USIndoor Sport Facility Conference & Expo
Class of 2025
Inducted in May 2026 at the 26th Sport Facility Conference & Expo in Reno, the Class of 2025 is the first to include organizations. These two companies have shaped how facilities are built, run and filled with players.
The Sports Facilities Companies
Clearwater, Fla.
The Sports Facilities Companies plans, develops and manages sports, recreation and entertainment destinations across the country.
Its portfolio includes more than 90 managed properties that welcome 30 million guest visits each year.
Through professional facility management and sports tourism, the company has helped communities turn venues into lasting drivers of economic impact.
Visit The Sports Facilities Companies
Honored Leaders:
Jason Clement, Founding Partner and CEO
Dev Pathik, Founder
Bryan Finnerty, Co-Founder
Eric Sullivan, Partner
Lil’ Kickers
Seattle, Wash.
For more than 20 years, Lil' Kickers has used age-appropriate soccer programs to build child development, serving more than 2.5 million children.
Its classes blend imaginative play with professional coaching, helping young players grow in skill and confidence.
Founded by 2023 inductee Don Crowe, Lil' Kickers now runs in 26 states and provinces across North America.
Visit Lil’ Kickers
Honored Leaders:
Karen Crowe, Partner
Ty Redinger, President
Gene Hogan, National Director
Class of 2024
Norm Gill
Managing Partner,
Pinnacle Indoor Sports
Gill founded Soccer Blast International and has spent his career developing, building and operating indoor sports facilities. He ran two Soccer Blast complexes himself and oversaw the development of many more. A background in design-build construction has saved clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. He also served on the USIndoor Soccer advisory board.
Afrim Nezaj
Owner and Founder,
Afrim's Sports · Albany, N.Y.
Nezaj founded Afrim's Sports and grew it into the Capital District's leading sports organization, with six indoor locations, more than 75 employees and the flagship Afrim's Sports Park. The park pairs outdoor turf fields and a domed field with the Tavern on the Turf restaurant. Youth programs and leagues serve players of every age.
Pete Spanos
Founder,
Vetta Sports · St. Louis
Spanos founded Vetta Sports to help young players build life skills through soccer, drawing on his own experience as a Division I player. He served for years on the USIndoor board and led instruction for the Certified Arena Operator program, raising management standards across the industry.
Class of 2023
Don Crow
CEO,
Arena Sports · Seattle
Crowe has led Arena Sports since 1998 and built it into the Pacific Northwest's largest indoor sports organization. He also founded DaySmart Recreation, the industry's leading facility software platform, and Lil' Kickers, which joined him in the Hall as a 2025 organization inductee. He has served on the USIndoor board and helped shape the annual conference.
Tom Higginson
President Emeritus,
Let’s Play Sports · Moab, UT
Tom's innovative approach and unique leadership style grew Let's Play Sports to over 20 locations before his retirement. Let's Play now has over 50 fields and operates in 11 states. He now serves as president emeritus and also founded Moab's Base Camp Adventure Lodge in Utah.
Class of 2022
Don Shapero
Founder and Past President, USIndoor Sports Association · Richmond, Va
Shapero founded the association and led it for 25 years, building it from an idea into the trade organization serving the indoor sports facility industry. Under his leadership the association [CONFIRM: established rules and standards for indoor play], launched its conference and shaped the careers of operators across North America.
Hank Aldrich
Founder and President,
Soccer & Tennis Surfaces Company
Aldrich founded Soccer & Tennis Surfaces Company in 1968 after earning an engineering degree from Princeton University. He and his team joined the association as one of its original provider members and have supplied playing surfaces to the industry for more than five decades.
Jim Cline
Founder and Principal,
The Goals Group · Columbus, Ohio
Cline consults full time with sports facilities across the country after serving as general manager for several indoor soccer companies. He has worked in soccer for more than 20 years across teams, retail and facilities, sits on youth soccer boards in two states and has operated more than 75 youth tournaments.
See the Class of 2027 Inducted in Atlanta
May 11–13, 2027 | Hilton Atlanta | 27th Sport Facility Conference & Expo
Know someone who built this industry?
Nominations for the Class of 2027 are open through December 31, 2026. Tell the selection committee what changed because of their work, and they could be inducted in Atlanta next May.