A full-court press is underway at Edwardsville’s Plummer Family Park, as the City and Courthouse 618 LLC announced Thursday, February 19, that construction is beginning for a new indoor recreational field house featuring courts for basketball, volleyball, futsal and training opportunities.

The new sports facility was first announced in April 2025 as a partnership between the City of Edwardsville and Courthouse 618 LLC, owned by Edwardsville native Mark Thomas. The facility will be known as The Courthouse 618 and will include five high school regulation-size basketball courts that can transition into nine volleyball courts for games, training, open play and camps. The approximately 50,000-square-foot facility will be the new home of the Edwardsville Parks & Recreation Department’s youth and adult basketball leagues, offer public training and playing opportunities and host tournaments. It also will be the site of Shoot 360 Edwardsville, a cutting-edge, immersive, data-driven basketball training experience for athletes of all skill levels.

A celebratory groundbreaking will take place at the future site of The Courthouse 618 at 9 a.m. Thursday, February 26, weather permitting. The facility will be built on the southwest corner near the Goshen Road entrance of Plummer Family Park, the City’s 83-acre premiere sports complex. 

“This is a wonderful project for Edwardsville and for families and athletes throughout the area. We’re thrilled to expand the opportunities offered at Plummer Family Park and to bolster the varied types of sports programming that our community already enjoys,” Mayor Art Risavy said. “We’re excited to work with Mark Thomas and see his dream of supporting youth sports become a reality.”  

“I, along with other parents and young athletes in this community, have traveled miles away to access the kind of training and facilities they deserve right here at home. The Courthouse 618 changes that for every family in Edwardsville and the surrounding area,” Courthouse 618 founder Mark Thomas said. “We’re not just breaking ground on a building, we're investing in the future of this community and the next generation of athletes who will grow up right here.” 

The facility is a public-private collaboration; Mr. Thomas is facilitating financing for the building and the Shoot 360 franchise. The City is leasing the land in Plummer Family Park to Mr. Thomas’ company, Courthouse 618 LLC. In conjunction with the facility construction, the City also is proceeding with 200 public parking spaces adjacent to the proposed site.

An opening date is anticipated for fall of 2026. Courthouse 618 LLC is working with Contegra Construction Co. of Edwardsville on the facility, while First Mid Bank & Trust is the financial institution for the project.

(Photo credit: 618 Drone Service; The Courthouse 618 will be built in the upper right section of the park, as shown in the photo)