★ 1

Unprofessional Staff, Poor Management, and a Ridiculous Spectator Fee

I am extremely disappointed with my experience at Athletic Republic Capitol Region. Charging a $5 spectator fee just to watch my kid practice is unreasonable and honestly feels like a ploy to generate revenue in a facility that is clearly struggling. The gym is almost always empty — no classes going on, barely anyone using the equipment, and very little business overall. When a place is this underutilized, it should be a wake-up call that something needs to change.

On top of that, the staff is unprofessional and impersonal, and there’s a noticeable lack of hospitality. It genuinely feels like customer comfort and experience are not a priority here. I’ve read the responses the owners have given to other negative reviews, trying to justify their policies, but the explanations don’t match the reality inside the facility. When multiple people express the same concerns and the gym remains empty, it’s time to stop defending ineffective rules and start rethinking them.

The spectator fee, combined with poor management and a lack of warmth from staff, is not the way to build trust or community. Instead of pushing families away with unnecessary fees and rigid policies, they should focus on improving their customer service and creating an environment people actually want to come back to.

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★ 1

Charging a $5 spectator fee for parents to watch their kids practice is ridiculous. I understand wanting to make money, but asking parents to pay just to supervise their own children doesn’t sit right. The only alternative is to drop your kid off and wait in the parking lot. Not a great policy.
I'm not in charge of my child's team, but if I were, I wouldn't give this place a dime.

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★ 5

This place reminds me of a place in California called Hardwood Palace. This center host various events mainly basketball, it was basketball all day and it must have been no least the 10 full courts, they reall need to have some sort of food for the guess, and a $15.00 entry they could provide better than water and chips machine

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★ 1

There's ALWAYS games here and the bathrooms are ALWAYS NASTY. It doesn't make sense how many people use this facility when there's a game at $15pp a day and can't get a clean bathroom. No you cannot control others but you can send somebody to clean bathrooms every hour. IJS

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

Good courts, good staff, bad a/c units. The best place to hoop in the area because its the only place to hoop in the area.

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★ 5

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★ 3

The athletic facility is nice. Ample space to play more than one game at the same time.
But... they need to repair the A/C unit there. RIDICULOUS!! It was entirely too hot in that gym for the girls playing the bball tournament and for the fans watching on the wknd of 6/21/25. Floor fans just don't do it with 90+ degree heat outside and charging $30 to enter?
*Sorry guys - do better!

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★ 1

Hello I just want to say that this place needs to change👎

Prices are too much, for a bathroom to use is 5$, food is very unhealthy, and lastly staff are very rude and don’t help. The staff was very mean to my friend and he got kicked out for a very dumb reason, The worst place to come with overpriced prices when we don’t get to practice a lot.

Thank you for reading: Leighann❤️

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★ 1

I just wanted to say that the experience at this place has been really disappointing. The staff are super unprofessional, rude, and seem like they don’t even care about what’s going on. They’re not helpful at all and act like they don’t want to be there. It’s like they’re not loyal to the place or the people who come to use it.

On top of that, the snacks this place is selling are honestly gross and super unhealthy. This is supposed to be a place for active kids and athletes, but all that’s offered is junk food that no one should be eating while playing sports.

And worst of all, it’s crazy how expensive everything is. For something that’s honestly horrible, the prices make no sense. People are paying too much for a place that’s not doing the bare minimum to be decent.

Something really needs to change — the environment, the staff, the food, and the pricing. Right now, it’s just not it.

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★ 1

Establishment needs some work! Multiple courts for basketball but the
Seating is terrible.. always hot and muggy!

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★ 1

Rip rip rip off. 30$ admission for the day, 14$ chicken sandwich, 4$ bottle of water. Air conditioners are so big you can't even shoot on certain baskets. They disconnect the snack machines so you are forced to pay 3x the cost at the snack bar.

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★ 1

Close this joint back down….The only court you rent to train but can’t place not a cone on the court…. Don’t drop your kid at practice and need to use the bathroom 5$….. Staff 50/50 some cool some think they top flight security of the world….talking crazy…. Unprofessional…Book and pay for court rental…. Get there and gotta prove you actually rented the court because of poor staff communication.

Son playing in a tournament this weekend…. Dropped him off went to work…. They didn’t allow him to bring water in the gym…. But could buy some lol….. lost a 60$ basketball because he had to put it in a cart at the front…. It was gone when he left…..

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 2

Courts crowded in top of each other, kids can’t even bring in their own water bottle. Concession prices ridiculous! Should be ashamed of themselves.

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★ 1

This place is terrible. They prohibit outside food, but then all they have available for purchase is candy, junk food and gross hot dogs despite the fact that kids are here to play sports. And then one kid on our team got injured, the trainer was no where to be found, there was no ice available and then I was told “if all he needs is ice then he will be fine.” Unbelievable! I should add that they charge a $5 cover charge just to watch your kid play.

Update: we are here for another game a few weeks later and a child barfs on the court. There is no one available to clean it up and no cleaning supplies available so our teams coach had to go to the bathroom and get paper towels to clean up the vomit.

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★ 1

I’ve been a dedicated member of Athletic Republic for some time, but I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with how the facility is managed. It feels like the management does not value its members or their memberships. Many times, there are no courts available for regular members because their VIP customers—the soccer organization—occupy the entire floor. This makes it difficult for loyal members to enjoy the benefits they’ve paid for.

A member-only section should be implemented to ensure that paying members always have access to the facility. Additionally, the entry fees have gone up, and the membership fee increased by $100, which would be fine if the service improved. Instead, they cut the 6 AM to 9 AM hours, making it even less convenient for members.

Overall, the value of a membership here feels very low. Management needs to prioritize their members and provide better access and service if they want to retain long-term customers.

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★ 1

What kinda legitimate establishment is this? Only takes cash or cash app.

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★ 5

Great place to practice and play. They have leagues running year round if your looking for a place to be a part of a team

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★ 5

Great spot been going here since it was Run n Shoot

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

This place is amazing. It has 6 basketball courts, inside football, soccer field, futsal court, and huge weight training room with rollable tractor tires. They have a concession stand and plenty of parking.

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★ 5

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★ 1

The worst venue to host a basketball tournament. I’ve never seen staff care so little about its customers.

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★ 2

Came for an bball tournament for my kids. They don't allow water or any kind of drinks in, even for players. Door entry is $20 and they don't accept any form of payment besides cash.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 3

It is great to have this facility nearby. But I think there is room for improvement. I have been visiting for basketball tournaments 5 or 6 times in the last few years each time I noticed that the bathrooms are absolutely filthy. It is so bad that my athletes prefer to wait or ask to go to a fast food place. If spooky nook can keep their bathrooms clean maybe. Athletic Republic can. Please help!

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★ 1

Attended a Basketball tournament 4/27/24, the facility has deteriorated to the point that it is embarrassing for our county to host out of state teams and visitors at this spot.
Bathrooms were overflowing with urine and there wasn't any soap or paper towels.
Trash everywhere. HVAC non-working or couldn't handle the crowds, was way too hot. Overpriced concessions.
The location shouldn't host larger tournaments as they are woefully ill prepared to handle them.
They should visit ST James or SpookyNook to get a sense of what they need to aspire to. They need to reinvest and renovate urgently.

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★ 4

small courts but ELI ELLIS AND ISSAC ELLIS

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★ 5

Great place for basketball tournaments. Organized, very clean, well-maintained.

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★ 4

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★ 5

I love seeing the kids play basketball

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 1

I am beyond disappointed in this establishment. I’ve been a member for the last 3 years and will no longer support this business until there are some significant changes. There are a number of areas which require immediate improvement. The first is the overall customer service. Regardless of the time of day or day of the week, you are never able to get in contact with a representative to learn about the availability of the facility. I have traveled to the gym more than 20 times only to be turned away because of an event, commercial, or tournament. The social media and website are never current which only contributes to the lack of clarity and poor customer service. Now I recognize most of the employees are young people from the area, there is a tremendous opportunity to teach them how to amplify customer service engagement, specifically on they communicate with members. This includes the removal of attitudes and a lack of willingness to provide member support.

Secondly, it is tremendously disappointing to witness the amount of effort and engagement and shift in attitude and willingness to administered proper customer service to people who are not from the community but leverage the facility for soccer tournaments or practice/other activities. I’ve requested to speak with the owner on several occasion to get an understanding of why there is such disparity in treatment, however was told he was always unavailable even while in the building. Now initially I gave the owners the benefit of grace and timing believing they may have been genuinely busy, but in another instance where it was 10x more busy with parents from Alexandria spectating during their children’s soccer game, a white male requested to speak to the owner and was given his number on the spot. You could imagine the immediate dissatisfaction with how that played out when I was there first and was essentially dismissed.

While I recognize this is a business, this facility has the potential to be a refuge for all kinds of people in the area. But it is currently poorly run with little to no investment in membership services. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve heard other members share they are going to suspend their membership and take their business elsewhere. What is clear is that there is an investment for larger events and for capital coming from outside of PG county and not the people who live in the community that are members.

The ask here is to amplify your communication and customer service for your members.

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★ 4

Great place with a kid friendly atmosphere

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★ 5

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★ 4

This venue is a great addition to the community. It prepares student athletes and adults with the training needed to be successful. They also run AAU and indoor soccer games teams out of there.

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★ 4

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★ 5

Our daughter had a volleyball tournament at Athletic Republic. Great facility and a great event.

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★ 1

I’ve never left a review of anything in my life. Came here today for a volleyball tournament. I will NEVER be back. The main guy in charge was very condescending and rushed us at every turn. Facility ceilings are about 1/2 the size they should be. I’ve coached for years, this is the first time I’ve been to a tournament with no playoffs or adequate time to warm up. My impression was management was worried less about providing a quality tournament and more about the $$. And least of all, the officiating was the worst I’ve ever seen (they just generally didn’t seem to know what was going on). I’ve had a vast array of parent complaints come to me today. If I could rate 0 stars I would.

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★ 1

I’m at my daughters first volleyball game with ARstars and I never realized how terrible athletic republic is. It was embarrasing sitting here watching the volleyball games against PG County and Montgomery County as the parents around me complained of how poor this facility is. The darn ceilings are too low for volleyball...so ridiculous that this is all we have here. We really get bare bones facilities, schools and activities for people in PG County. What a disparity and shame in what we are offered for our money.

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★ 5

Like to do games at this place.

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★ 5

I like to play basketball

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★ 4

A hidden gem. A very large facility

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 3

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★ 5

Great place for the tournament.

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★ 3

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★ 1

So this place charges $5 for you to sit and watch your child practice. NOT A GAME but PRACTICE!!! Mind you my child is 8 years old and I can’t even walk him to the court to practice unless I pay $5… Yea it’s a no for me, I know times is hard but practice 🤦🏾‍♀️

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 3

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Went there for a youth basketball ball. No problems.

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★ 5

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★ 3

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★ 5

Great place for basketball tournaments.

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★ 5

Very very cool that they turned the old Capital Sports Complex into Athletic Republic. I trained there as a kid in Bowie and now they have a full sized facility?! Definitely gotta visit when I’m back in town.

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★ 5

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★ 3

This is a great facility for the price...love working out here.
BUT, and I cannot stress this strongly enough, the ladies restroom/shower area is HORRIBLY unkept and unsanitary. Always out out soap, half the stalls are not in working order and paper/trash littering the floors. I have never seen the this area clean whether working out there first thing in the morning or later in the evening. You really need to get a handle on cleaning the restroom/shower area.

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 1

The people who run this place are so rude, ghetto and unprofessional!! Always smart out the mouth even when you're nice to them. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen!!

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★ 4

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★ 4

Could be better

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★ 5

Loved it

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★ 5

Workouts are tough but I love it.

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★ 1

When I tell you?? The WORRRSST!! The Worst!! GHETTO AT ITS FINEST!!! I would NOT I SAY WOULD NOT HOST NOTHING HERE. UNPROFESSIONAL

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★ 4

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★ 5

Clean, quiet, great atmosphere....and they're social distancing!

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★ 5

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★ 4

Great multi functional facility!

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 1

It’s ok could be a better staff….I wanted to use the kiddie court for my daughter and their employee was like no in a very mean way…great rates and workout equipment

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

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★ 5

Very nice facility

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★ 5

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★ 5

nice safe environment

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★ 5

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★ 1

Wow. Where to begin...this place is a nightmare. Unprofessional staff, customer service barely none existent. While I was there for an event, I hope to never have to return. Even the restroom, just gross. They sent out a text informing spectors of policy change late, not taking into consideration some people travel a great distance. NO THANK YOU!!

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★ 4

The investment that the owner has made in this venue shows well. Thank you for improving the appearance of your business. Excellent location for tournaments.

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★ 5

Great training and clean facility

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★ 5

It's closed now. I'm a truck driver and I parked in their parking lot overnight and it looks abandoned. Good luck guys if your looking for them I would search Facebook for them.

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★ 5

Great work out

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★ 5

Impressive

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★ 5

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★ 5

Iron sharpens Iron here.....They Develop young athletes, my son included.

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★ 3

Nice

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★ 5

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★ 3

Simba Dojang is great! staff is horrible! Especially the young lady at the front desk. She likes to single out non favorites. Great monthly rates tho

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★ 4

Variety of sports from basketball courts to weight lifting. Classes and team opportunities.

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great place to train.

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★ 4

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★ 3

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★ 4

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★ 4

Great tournament but need a new score keeper!

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★ 3

Great basketball court and tournament setup. Pretty neat place to go watch Amateur Basketball competition in a tournament atmosphere. Friendly staff and attentive.

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★ 3

A little annoying that players cant bring in their own Gatorade. They are confiscated at the door.

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★ 5

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★ 1

Dirty bathrooms, and a no drink policy that is draconian at best, and criminalizes kids at its worst. Exploiting kids and their parents by forcing them to buy drinks at inflated prices is just plain wrong.
Great job treating kids like crininals.
We will not be bringing our teams here again.

UPDATE

Great response from the facility mgt. (See below)

Your policy still sucks.

You still treated my players like criminals. They did not enjoy the experience.

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★ 1

You can’t bring drinks from outside and they check your bags for drinks. I’m not paying extra money for drinks when I can bring my own. That’s ridiculous. Then they don’t let you bring liquids to a bench. Like do you want athletes to get dehydrated and have a heat stroke in your facility so you can get sued?

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★ 4

This is a huge arena where teams can compete during off season in various sports. i.e. basketball

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★ 3

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★ 1

TERRIBLE PLACE TO HOST YOUR BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS COACHES/ HARD WORKING PARENTS... Kids get their bags screened (which is fine) only to have stuff pulled out of bags like a prison visitors line up; now, taking out food is fine by me but water and Gatorade are OVERBOARD.
ATHLETIC REPUBLIC CAPITOL REGION wants your kids here for the $$$$$$ down the a .99 cent water bottle, the lady working the front desk was very happy to up sale me in front of the police (most cops I've ever seen at any AAU game 3yrs now) there high priced Cafe water.
Athletic Republic CAPITOL REGION if your rule is such that our kids cannot hydrate their own selves then make your business to keep water towers at every court. Parents pay enough to bring the kid to your venue plus we pay to enter your venue and watch since they have to get home somehow but to now only drink your @ cost water is extortion as you leave no corner unturned to gain $$$ here. DUMBSHIT AT THIS PLACE Y'ALL.

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★ 3

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★ 5

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★ 2

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★ 5

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★ 5

This is a huge sports building. They have several indoor basketball courts, workout weight training, indoor turf field and more. I came here for an Under Armour basketball tournament with my son.The staff were very friendly and organized. They have a food cafeteria which served breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was outstanding and they have a large menu, bigger than most basketball indoor places where tournaments are held! They have a variety of drink machines and food snack machines. They also have a large sitting area for a big groups of people. The parking is a huge parking lot with plenty of space. I do think they should have more indoor seating though. This is a really great place to host basketball tournaments.

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★ 5

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★ 5

Great atmosphere for you to because a great athlete, great trainers, great equipment. Positive reforcement with the kids,overall a great place to be ...

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★ 5

Great facilities with excellent customer service!

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★ 5

Knowledgeable trainers that demonstrate a genuine interest in the success of all of their clients. Excellent customer service. You are doing yourself a disservice by not visiting this gym.

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★ 5

Best place for Pro, Collegiate, HS, and Youth training for any sport

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★ 3

Not the best area to be hosting a basketball event.

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★ 5

Very good place for everyone... They got all

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★ 5

Excellent facilities and outstanding management team something for everybody

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

Great place to enjoy great sport activitis

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★ 4

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★ 5

Excellent facility/service. Plus, they have a passion for working with our youth. If you want to get fit and are serious about training - this is the place for you!

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★ 5

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★ 4

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★ 5

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★ 4

The gym itself is expansive. I believe it to be a bit overpriced for tournament goers. Also, the no-drink policy is ludicrous. If the organization wants attendees to pay for drinks, OK. But players should be able to bring their own nourishment. I fully understand generating profit, but that's pushing it.

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★ 5

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★ 3

pricey

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★ 5

Great place to play basketball with the kids.

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★ 5

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★ 4

Nice facility. They host a lot of Travel basketball events.

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★ 5

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★ 1

AAU Coaches Beware this facility is a money pit with poor customer service
The ladies room difficult to locate bathrooms were filthy no soap to wash your hands. cant bring any bottled water to hydrate your players only sports bottle. must purchase their bottles. time keepers were rude we kept complaining how slippery the floor was he let us kow it was not his job and I kept time he was supposed to run the board he had one eye on the game and one eye on the board. this place is not some where to host a tournemet. all they cared about was collecting the money. they are giving adiadas a bad name. but they have a beutiful turf field I hope not to come back here no time soon.

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★ 1

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★ 5

Huge facility! Attended basketball championship games. Plenty of parking. Pay at the door for day pass and receive a wrist bracelet and several courts for games.

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★ 5

Newly renovated. Former New24

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★ 4

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★ 1

Can't bring in water for players but don't provide any for them

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★ 5

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★ 1

I agree with Paul’s comments, I have been to tournaments while under previous management and can see obvious changes that have been made under current management. Some for the better, some not for the better. I would say to Management that as the facility is a nice one and will probably get better in the future. But remember it is only there because parents choose to support the facility. If parents start to feel like athletic Republic is nickel and dimeing them; they will make the decision to go elsewhere. In which case everyone loses. And for the record I do understand the capital expenses that it takes to run a facility that size and if a couple hundred dollars from the sale of water to the athletes; (that you have to have there) makes that big of a difference I would recommend you restructure your business model now because you are doomed to fail. And for the record there are not one but two very large signs in your building that clearly states that water bottles are permitted on the premises (bullet point 6). To the management of athletic Republic there are better ways to make a couple hundred dollars and not look petty doing it. Just a thought.

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★ 5

Organized and clean! Prices are reasonable. Staff is friendly and well mannered. You won’t be disappointed! Athletic Republic is everything you’ll need when looking for a gym!

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★ 5

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★ 1

We participated in the ZG Collision basketball tournament this weekend (April 14-15 2018) and this facility was disgraceful and unethical in their business practices. Not only did they charge the most outrageous entry fees I've seen to date for any tournament ($20 for 2/day and $12/day) they forbid all players from bringing their own drinking water into the facility forcing players to pay $2.00 per bottle. This is pure greed in its worst form. Parent's throughout the region will boycott this facility for this egregious practice. Despicable!!! And to top it off, they rationale was that they were protecting players from slipping by drinking their own water, like spilling their own water vs a $2 bottle is any different??? Water is water.

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★ 5

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