As someone who not only lives in the heart of Maryland, but works for
a gym I can educate you on a few topics that I saw firsthand.
Wrestling is more popular here than ever, especially when compared to
neighboring states. The local politics support the sport, mostly
because of its "old time" backing. Many coaches in the area are
retired military, including River Hill's Earl Lauer, who has won many
a championship.
The zoning and space are easily attained, and are in high demand in
the Columbia, Frederick, Annapolis, Edgewater and other metro areas.
Mostly areas with a slight suburban influence are more profitable.
Indoor basketball is run by a few different organizations and is
usually by county. For instance, Howard County has two seperate
leagues: HCYP and WHCYB.
Volleyball is also very popular with some facilities across the region
dedicated to the sport entirely.
This state is a great place to open a gym, or space that is oriented
to a young athlete since the zoning is easy (See Craig Northrup Park
on Centennial Lane as a recent zoning example), the money from parents
is definately en masse, and the parks system is involved, but there is
still much room for private ventures. I would estimate that the usage
of public/private land is about 50/50 for the youth sports.
Hope I've given you the information you seek. |