River Crossing YMCA Cuts Ribbon to Officially Open Multimillion-Dollar RCY Sports Center in Doylestown

DOYLESTOWN — River Crossing YMCA leaders and guests officially cut the ribbon to open the newly constructed RCY Sports Center on its Doylestown campus at 2500 Lower State Road. Members and the community were invited to an open house and ceremony on August 5.

“This is a place where all people of all ages can learn, grow, compete and connect,” explained Andrew Yannarella, VP of Operations who oversees sports programs for the YMCA. “Whether you're in our preschool athletics program starting this fall, learning a sport for the first time, a high school athlete trying to get faster or stronger in our new sports performance program, or an active older adult that's coming to play pickleball with their friends, this facility is designed to bring our community together through sports and active living.”

The Y converted former outdoor courts into a fully enclosed, climate-controlled field house with three surfaces available year-round, including two multi-purpose hard courts lined for basketball, volleyball and pickleball, and one turf surface designed for soccer, lacrosse, flag football and field hockey.

The opening of the RCY Sports Center also represents the Y’s new sports brand, RCY Sports, which focuses classes, clinics and sports league programs on participation, building life skills, self-esteem and YMCA values: 

• Love the Game
• Sport for All
• Players First
• Positive Competition

“When we moved here, our son Braxton was really excited to sign up for the basketball team,” shared Laura Mosley, who recently moved to Bucks County with her family from Indiana. “The coaches have made it an incredible experience. They meet every single kid where they’re at. We love that they work with them on their confidence and their skills, and that the main focus is teamwork and sportsmanship. And we've seen that with every single event and team that we’ve participated in.” Mosley also recounted this same experience for her daughter Alexis, 12, who swims for the CBR (Central Bucks YMCA Region) Barracudas swim team. 

“As my mom said, when we moved here there weren’t a lot of opportunities for us to be in sports programs,” added Braxton Mosley, 13. “The YMCA runs programs year-round, so it was really great for us because we 

were able to just sign up and have fun, and it wasn't overly competitive. It was more fun, and I just really enjoyed the experience.”

President/CEO of River Crossing YMCA Zane Moore noted the need for participation-based team sports for youth in the community.

“We believe here at the Y that there's an epidemic in youth sports across America. Travel leagues are designed for recruitment. They're very expensive, and we've seen too many kids being left behind. 

“This is one of the coolest things that I think we've ever done. We've created our own travel leagues now, and this [RCY Sports Center] will be one of the homes of RCY Sports, where kids playing volleyball, basketball, flag football, swimming or gymnastics can go to our multiple sites and have the travel experience where every kid plays.” River Crossing YMCA plans to break ground on a similar sports center in Quakertown later this year.

Families and adult athletes were on hand for the open house and ribbon-cutting, where RCY Sports coaches led basketball, volleyball and soccer play, as well as skill challenges for prizes. 

Basketball, volleyball and pickleball classes are among the slate of programs currently offered on the new hard courts, with soccer and flag football on the new turf field. Adult basketball leagues in full-court and side-court formats will run with regular seasons and playoffs. The facility is currently supporting summer camp programs, with classes and leagues kicking off this fall. 

The RCY Sports Center is open to members and non-members. It is ADA-compliant and staffed during all operating hours. Space is available for community rentals, including leagues, tournaments, clinics and school programs. 

For rental inquiries, Andrew Yannarella can be reached at ayannarella@ymcarivercrossing.org. Individuals or organizations who would like to support youth sports through sponsorship of the RCY Sports Center can reach out to Maggie Lester, mlester@ymcarivercrossing.org. 

RCY Sports Center webpage