Mar 20, 2026
For Tanya McAlpin, a single mother from central Iowa, the pitch was hard to resist. Pay into a competitive volleyball club, and her 14-year-old daughter Braelyn would get three weekly training sessions, six or seven tournaments spanning six months, and a uniform and jersey to call her own.
Yet, she handed over nearly $3,000 and got one month of practice, one tournament and no jersey in return.
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"There were a lot of things that were promised. And nothing was fulfilled," McAlpin told WHO 13, a local news station.
McAlpin is one of dozens of families left scrambling after Ignit Sports and Fitness, a 62,500-sq-ft facility in the Des Moines suburb of Grimes, abruptly locked its doors on Feb. 10.
Parents and athletes who showed up for practice that week found the building shuttered with little explanation — just a vague post on the facility's website and Facebook page saying it was "working through some issues."
“They’ve really ghosted us … I’ve sent emails, I’ve made phone calls,” Anthony Willis, whose daughter, Maya, also 14, gave up dance to join the Ignit national team, told WHO 13.
With roughly 80 athletes paying into the volleyball program alone, families estimate Ignit collected around $220,000. The company also ran basketball, baseball, softball and soccer programs, meaning the broader financial losses could be far greater.
“Where did the money go?” Maya's mother, Karla, asked. “That’s what I want to know.”
McAlpin added that she’s feeling sick to her stomach over “how much money was pretty much just flushed down the toilet.”
A trail of red flags
In hindsight, the warning signs were there.
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Court records show Ignit's owners — brothers Chad and Brian O'Meara — had a documented history of financial disputes with clients stretching back to 2018. Four small-claims lawsuits alleged unpaid refunds, missed tournament fees and broken promises across multiple sports programs. All cases ended in default judgments of thousands of dollars, with no Ignit representative ever appearing in court.
In January 2025, a parent filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau alleging she'd paid nearly $3,000 for her daughter to play club volleyball, only to experience delayed uniforms, minimal tournament play and a coach who quit, after allegedly not being paid.
The O'Mearas' troubles extend well beyond the Grimes facility. The brothers were also behind the ambitious Ignit Johnston project, a multi-million-dollar sports complex that's now only partially developed.
Iowa court records show the Johnston property is in foreclosure. The brothers have allegedly defaulted on multiple large loans and the City of Johnston has stated it expects to be reimbursed more than $3.5 million in pre-development grants. Neither brother has been criminally charged.
Adding further concern: Ignit's website still promotes its charitable arm, the "Ignit Sports Foundation," and even includes an active donation link. But IRS records show the foundation's 501(c)(3) nonprofit status was revoked in 2020 after the organization failed to submit required filings for three consecutive years (1).
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The true cost — and stakes — of club sports
Like in the rest of the country, youth sports are a major part of childhood in Iowa, with families paying handsomely for teams, camps and facilities. This case highlights real financial risk in a sector where families are already stretched thin and shelling out plenty for youth athletics.
According to a 2025 survey by the Aspen Institute's Project Play initiative, the average American family now spends $1,016 annually per child for their main sport — 46% more than in 2019. Youth sports expenses grew at twice the rate of overall inflation over the same time frame (2).
Club and travel programs, like the one Ignit offered, tend to push costs even higher: fees at a comparable volleyball program in the Midwest can range from $1,500 to $4,500 per season, without even accounting for extras like travel, hotels and tournament entry fees (3).
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When a private program folds unexpectedly, families have few options, especially if refund policies weren't clearly spelled out in writing. And with about 55% of American youth playing organized sports according to the Aspen Institute, many families could be potentially affected by bad actors (4).
How to recoup costs
The good news is there may be some recourse, though the path to recovery can be long and complicated.
According to Nolo's legal resource guide on health club and sports facility closures, consumers in states without specific health club refund laws can turn to their state's Unfair or Deceptive Acts and Practices (UDAP) statute (5). These are broad consumer protection laws in all 50 states covering situations where a business fails to deliver paid-for services.
According to online legal database Justia, under UDAP statutes, consumers may be entitled to seek multiple types of damages — sometimes reaching up to three times the value of the losses — and in some states, attorneys' fees as well, making it worth consulting a consumer protection attorney before assuming the money is simply gone (6).
Families who paid by credit card may also be able to dispute the charges, which Nolo notes is a viable option when a facility closes unexpectedly (5).
As for Ignit parents, they can also file an online complaint about deceptive and unethical business practices with the Iowa Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division (7).
In the meantime, the families have received some help. For one, volleyball director Daniel Wong, who was blindsided alongside the families, has been working for free to allow kids to keep playing, WHO 13 reports.
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Other coaches have been helping at no charge, donated gym space has materialized, and sponsors have stepped in to cover tournament entry fees. One team even ironed numbers onto black T-shirts to compete in their first tournament after the closure (1).
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How to protect yourself
More broadly, this situation is a warning to any family considering a high-dollar private youth sports program. Before you sign or pay for anything, consider these steps:
1. Read the contract carefully. Understand exactly what services are promised, how many tournaments are included and whether uniforms and coaching are guaranteed. Without a clear cancellation or refund clause, you may have little standing if something goes wrong.
2. Ask about refund policies upfront and look for them in writing. If a program can't give you a clear answer on what happens if they cancel, close or fail to deliver, that's a big red flag.
3. Check the business's legal and financial standing. Look up the organization in your state's business registry. Search court records for prior lawsuits or judgments. Verify any nonprofit status through the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (8).
4. Look up BBB complaints and online reviews. The Better Business Bureau and Google reviews, and other review websites often surface patterns of behavior that individual families might otherwise miss.
5. Consider nonprofit or municipal alternatives. Community centers and city recreation programs are generally a less expensive option than private club sports and carry institutional accountability that private facilities don't.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
WHO 13 Des Moines (1); Aspen Institute (2, 4); Rockwood Thunder (3) Nolo (5); Justia (6); Iowa Attorney General (7); Internal Revenue Service (8)
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With a writing and editing career spanning over 13 years, Emma creates and refines content across a broad spectrum of industries, including personal finance, lifestyle, travel, health & wellness, real estate, beauty & fitness and B2B/SaaS/tech. Her versatility comes through contributions to high-profile clients like Moneywise, Healthline, Narcity and Bob Vila, producing content that informs and engages, along with helping book authors tell their stories.
