The recreation center offers memberships for UMKC students, faculty and staff as well as community members.

Under the school's previous athletic identity as the UMKC Kangaroos, the men's basketball team played there from 1969 to 1986, and again from 2010 to 2012.

The Kansas City women's basketball team also currently plays their home games at Swinney Recreation Center.

[3] The men's team played at Swinney during its days as an NAIA member, and moved to Municipal Auditorium when it joined the NCAA.

However, in 2010, UMKC announced that the men's basketball team would make Swinney its primary home court.