New Athletics, Fitness and Recreation Facilities

First Pitch

The NFL’s Cleveland Browns released renderings for the proposed $2.4 billion domed stadium slated for a 176-acre plot of land in Brook Park. Officials envision the stadium being anchored by a large-scale lifestyle and entertainment district, which would include experiential retail, residential space and hotels to draw visitors to the city throughout the year. 

The Albuquerque (N.M.) City Council unanimously approved plans for a soccer stadium at the city’s Balloon Fiesta Park. The stadium, which will have a capacity of around 10,500, will be the home for the New Mexico United soccer club, and city officials say they have plans in place that would ensure traffic does not route through nearby neighborhoods.

Breaking Ground

Newport (Ky.) Central Catholic High School held an official groundbreaking for the school’s new $10 million athletic complex. The new complex will include locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a large lighted cross on the backside of a press box, a blue track, a plaza and more. Hemmer Construction, which constructed the school in 1954, was chosen to lead the latest project. It has an estimated timeline of 13 months. 

The Army West Point Athletics Association and the West Point Association of Graduates held a special ceremony to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Michie Stadium Preservation Project. The project, which is slated for completion in summer 2026, will rebuild and modernize the current east stands. During this time, Army West Point will continue to welcome fans at Michie Stadium for men’s and women’s lacrosse, football, graduation and other special events. 

Hunstville, Ala., recently broke ground on a new recreation center in District 5. The new facility will feature a gymnasium with two basketball courts, two volleyball courts and three indoor pickleball courts. Sitework will also include three additional outdoor pickleball courts and landscaping. Construction is expected to take about a year. 

Grand Openings

The University of Southern Indiana debuted a $16 million renovation and expansion of its Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center. The renovation included an expanded footprint for the USI Deaconess Clinic, a meditation room, technology upgrades, soundproof offices, a photography studio with dedicated video editing and sound bays, a quiet lounge, an expanded game room and a new front desk for the Recreation, Fitness and Wellness area. The 31,000-square-foot expansion and 10,000 square feet of renovated space were funded through a 2019 legislative appropriation.

Carnegie Mellon University has unveild the new $105 million Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics. The new center features full-service clinical areas for University Health Services, private and supportive spaces for Counseling and Psychological Services, as well as a modern athletics facility for practice, performance, training and athlete care. The building was constructed with LEED Gold certification in mind.

Photo courtesy of DePaul University

Following a nine-month renovation, DePaul University Athletics has officially unveiled updates to the Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena. The modernized spaces include new team-specific locker rooms, enhanced recovery, sports medicine and sports performance spaces, as well as the addition of dedicated recruiting spaces and modernized arena amenities. The project also realized a first for the school in that each varsity team will now have a dedicated locker room. The modernized McGrath-Phillips Arena features a resurfaced playing court, enhanced accessibility features, updated branding, new LED lighting, a new sound system and enhanced softball batting cages. The space also features a state-of-the-art, 29-foot-tall-by-50-foot-wide videoboard for use during athletic, university and community events.