MARS

A multi-​faceted sports activity/​leisure facility. I’ve been playing ball here for years.
It gets too hot in summer and too cold in winter but these are great excuses to forget the weather and just run around.
The gym upstairs, although I’ve never been a member, is 24 hours and accessible from its own entrance way on the side of the building.
Admittedly, sometimes the staff could use a little more training in hospitality/​customer service, but it’s not really a place you go to get ultra high service. There are plenty of drinks and bites to eat at the kiosk, the guys running the comps always get the schedules up online in time but sometimes they get it a little wrong (they do take over the phone enquiries).
If you’ve got a few mates that wanna chuck the ball round on a weeknight/​weekend, and at least one of you can organise you all to show up each week, get in and give Mars a go. It’s a sweaty fun time!

Yet another sports venue that has been utilized through my soccer playing days. I have had a ball (seriously no pun intended) playing at Marden, which partly comes down to good company and partly because of a wicked premise.
Mars Sporting Complex Marden is the full name, and holds premier indoor sporting facilities. It boasts three large courts within nice sport centre surroundings. However what sets it apart from others of its sort, is its café style canteen with hot chips. Win!
Please be advised a lot of indoor sports are played at this venue if interested. These sports include volleyball, soccer, basketball, hockey, netball and badminton.

Although I haven’t used the sporting facilities at the MARS site, the top level is home to a full gym with whom I’ve been a member for the better part of a year. I originally found the gym, through a bunch of letter box drops they (take note advertising people, that tactic does actually work) and when I went in to enquire I was welcomed with open arms.
As far as I can tell the gym is owned by two very bulked up middle aged brothers who might have been twins because I could never tell them apart and though they were the same person every time I rocked up. I took out a 6 month student membership to start with which at around $ 12 a week was reasonable compared to Fitness First Payneham down the road where you have to sell a liver to afford memberships.
There are some downsides however. As a fan of the Les Mills programs and classes, MARS doesn’t have any except maybe for PUMP (still don’t know whether they bought it off Les Mills or not but the routine is very similar). This means the classes aren’t exactly what I have been used to at other gyms and some of them you can rock up without really knowing exactly what you will be doing.
However, the atmosphere is very relaxed and you don’t feel intimidated by hoards of skinny people who clearly don’t need to be at the gym. There is also a reasonable amount of equipment for their smallish membership cohort, and I never had to wait more than a minute or so for a piece of equipment to become free.

When the Romans were the dominant force on the planet, the strongest and most manly amoung them battled in the gladitorial ring of the Coleseum. Today men equal to those of yore battle for supremacy at MARS and long shall they be remembered in the pages of history.
I play Basketball and Mixed Netball at MARS Sporting Complex in Marden. What makes this a good venue? Well firstly it is pretty close to where I live, which shortens the stank that seeps into the car seats. The three wooden floored courts are sprung and there is plenty of space to the sides of all courts, which can be a problem at some venue’s (walls leave big bruises). The other thing that I like is the umpires, in particular the head netball umpire who is a champ. I think a place where the umpires take the time to get to know you is one you should keep going back to, as I have been for 15 years!
One big negative is that when it is hot outside it is STUPIDLY hot inside! The aircon only encompasses the front canteen and upstairs Gym, and the 5 or 6 fans just don’t cut the mustard.
As mentioned, other than the three courts there is also a full gym (with classes etc) and an indoor rock climbing wall. The canteen/​bar does not serve alcohol (it used to) which is a right bummer! Also keep in mind that parking can be tight on the occasions that the neighbouring soccer club has training as they choose to park in the gym parking rather than their own.
P. S. the times listed are office hours, but the social games start as late as 10:30 on some evenings.