First Pitch
The City of Mansfield, Texas, announced plans for a $2.5 billion development project for entertainment, sports and family recreation. Plans for the Staybolt Street Entertainment District were first announced in 2024, but the city recently revealed the complex will feature a professional multisport stadium, hotels, a conference center, a family-friendly amusement complex, housing, and retail and dining destinations. The 7,500-seat stadium will serve as the new home of MLS Next Pro’s North Texas Soccer Club. Scheduled to open in 2026, the stadium is expected to host a variety of events year-round, including concerts, tournaments and rodeos.
Grambling State unveiled plans for a state-of-the-art indoor Athletic Training and Performance Facility. The facility includes a 70-yard turf field, climate-controlled training space, and dedicated areas for sports medicine, strength development and team preparation. A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 10, adjacent to Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Modesto, Calif., has approved a downtown location for a new $188 million soccer stadium, which will be home to the city’s forthcoming United Soccer League team. Developers are open to expanding the project to include a mixed-use development with the addition of retail and housing.
Breaking Ground
Appalachian State University broke ground on an 85,000-square-foot multiuse indoor practice facility located on the Boone, N.C., campus. The facility will replace the university’s previous Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility and feature a 100-yard-long synthetic turf field supporting multiple athletics programs. The larger facility will also increase its scope to serve more areas across campus and allow for public-private health care collaborations.
The University of Nevada broke ground on the school’s long-awaited indoor field house project. The field house, which Nevada has sought since the early 2000s, will give the football program an indoor practice space and also provide other Wolf Pack teams a place to train during inclement weather. In addition, the space will serve as home to the school’s intramural and club sports teams. The project is expected to be completed in summer 2026.
Grand Openings
Penn State Athletics officially opened the Greenberg Indoor Sports Complex. The facility provides student-athletes across all 31 varsity sports with a centralized location for performance dining, academic support, and wellness and recovery amenities. Among the equipment available for student-athletes to utilize are a hydrotherapy pool, red light beds, dry float beds, a hyperbaric chamber, massage chairs and therapy, saunas and zero gravity chairs.
The University of Houston officially opened the Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center, a 105,000-square-foot facility that will house the Cougars football program. The facility features a state-of-the-art sports performance center, an academic support services suite, locker rooms, student-athlete flex space, and office space to house the coaching and support staff. The project also included the addition of premium seating options to TDECU Stadium with 14 suites, a 450-seat club section with access to an 11,000-square-foot club and a 350-seat roof terrace facing inward to John M. O’Quinn Field.
