This article was originally published in April 2018 and has been updated with additional photos and information. (Photos below courtesy of the Oldham family.)
Though it remained open until 2002, The Corner Kick at 18707 N. Frederick Rd in Gaithersburg was the premier sporting facility in Montgomery County from 1984 to 2000. 2000 marked the opening of the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown and the Rockville SportsPlex in Rockville, signaling a shift in the local sports landscape.
The Corner Kick hosted indoor soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, volleyball leagues—and some of the best children’s birthday parties many in our area remember. One of the facility’s biggest attractions was its restaurant/pub overlooking the fields. Enthusiasts could grab a domestic draft beer for just 75 cents during lunch or $1.00 during happy hour.
According to a 2002 Gazette article, co-owner Derek Oldham noted that the pub accounted for nearly 50% of the facility’s business. The article also mentioned an adult volleyball league, aptly nicknamed “Bump, Set, Drink,” which boasted over 200 players and sometimes kept the facility active until 2 a.m., playing and enjoying drinks, often at the same time.
Many of us have fond memories from playing in The Corner Kick’s indoor soccer leagues. We have vivid recollections of enduring scorching summers without air conditioning and braving freezing winters that left us breathless after just a short burst of play. The challenging temperatures never dampened our enthusiasm, and we remember every moment with nostalgia.
As newer facilities opened– the Maryland SoccerPlex and the Rockville SportsPlex– The Corner Kick’s business began to decline. Fitzgerald Auto Malls purchased the warehouse in October 2001, and although the property was rented to The Corner Kick for a few months, it ultimately closed on January 15, 2002. The loss of virtually many youth and adult leagues made it increasingly difficult for the facility to sustain operations. Prior to The Corner Kick’s establishment, the warehouse also housed Great Skate, a skating rink that remained open until 1987. While many of us are too young to remember Great Skate, the legacy of The Corner Kick lives on.
Visitors to our Facebook page shared their treasured memories of The Corner Kick:
• Used to play the ninja turtles arcade game there for hours. The best.
• I played music there on occasion, and a bit in the Walleyball league, which is what we called the Bump, Set, Drink referred to in the piece. Fun times.
• So many good ska shows there in the mid-late 90s. <3
• I played there for many years when I was younger, the insulation was coming off the roof and sides but they had great men’s and co-ed leagues and the bar upstairs was great!!
• My parents went there when it was a health club. I played soccer there as a kid. Then Volleyball there at night when I was done with college.
• We had our 5th grade end of the year celebration there and I remember getting free Q107 and WAVA tshirts.
Nope not dating myself at all with old radio stations. Ha!
• “My father was the first to commit a team to play there. I was literally raised there… probably still in diapers when I first went. I would blow through quarters in the arcade. The Oldhams have always been family friends, and I miss The Kick tremendously.”
• “My nephew Daniel Hess performed there with his ska band, The Canker Sores and The Ratchet Boys.”
• “I was a soccer mom to our two sons who played there often. I really enjoyed the super delish onion rings while watching from the viewing windows and chatting with other parents. Good times!”
• “Played a couple of winters there as a kid in the mid-90s…so cold… 😃…what even is a ‘Soccerplex’? Kids these days, always complaining!”
• “When you didn’t have to leave the building to enjoy playing, food, and drinks—hot in the summer, freezing in the winter… good times!”
• “Fond memories watching my boys play there; they loved the toasted sandwiches.”
• “Legendary. I played in women’s and co-ed leagues throughout the ’90s. Every time I drive past Fitzgerald, I imagine where everything once was. I hope the walls never tell the stories…”
• “Loved this place. I played in men’s and co-rec leagues and cherished being a ‘free agent’ goalie—playing team games, chilling with a post-game beer, and getting tapped to play again because someone’s goalie didn’t show. I could play two to three games a night, and I even remember watching World Cup games there!”
Even the now-defunct www.Corner-Kick.com celebrated its playful side: “Our Video Game Room contains about 20 games of varying types—from pinball machines to the latest video games such as Mortal Kombat III, NAMCO Alpine Racer, and a four-seat Daytona. We held regular tournaments on the Daytona and Alpine Racer.” The Corner Kick remains a beloved local landmark—its legacy etched in the hearts of those who played, celebrated, and created lifelong memories there.
