Western has two



And when its too windy the team moves to the under ground one

(07-23-2019 04:19 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(07-23-2019 04:17 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  App's had the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility since 2007.

Quote:Adjacent to Kidd Brewer Stadium and Sywassink/Lloyd Family Softball Stadium, the Sofield Family Indoor Practice Facility features an 80-by-60-yard FieldTurf surface which allows all 20 Mountaineer varsity teams to train and condition away from the High Country elements.

It includes a full athletic training room, offices and storage room and all the amenities needed to conduct practices. In addition to the FieldTurf surface, the building houses batting cages for baseball and softball batting practice.

The Sofield Facility officially opened in October 2007.

Yeah, you have a unique challenge among Southeast programs given your longer winters. I wouldn't hate it if ODU had one but other than July/August heat, the weather that would make outdoor practice impossible (hurricanes, flooding, one inch of snow) would shut the school down anyway.

Through the first decade of football, I think we have needed an IPF because of weather once. And we used the VB Field House. So at least we have access to that.

South Alabama has one. Not having to worry about the weather to conduct practice has been nice. There has been many times were practices were lost, changed, had to stop due to the weather. The NFL liked ours during senior bowl week. It was some free publicity on the NFL network. I'm surprised that more teams in the south don't have them with all the popup and severe thunderstorms that occur daily.

(07-24-2019 09:47 AM)kevinwmsn Wrote:  South Alabama has one. Not having to worry about the weather to conduct practice has been nice. There has been many times were practices were lost, changed, had to stop due to the weather. The NFL liked ours during senior bowl week. It was some free publicity on the NFL network. I'm surprised that more teams in the south don't have them with all the popup and severe thunderstorms that occur daily.

Totally forgot about y'alls. mea culpa

JTC IPF

(07-24-2019 02:26 AM)MUther Wrote:  It's not just for football. It has a track and the turf rolls out for baseball practice, etc...It's still very much winter here when baseball starts.

The IPF also has portable tennis courts that the tennis team can practice on. About the only thing that can't practice in there is basketball and volleyball.

Connected to the IPF is the Buck Harless Academic Center, the Chad Pennington Hall of Fame and the Sports Medicine facility.

FAU is in the process of building the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence. The center will be 166,000 sq ft and it originally included an IPF which has been delayed. The construction included a complete renovation of the stadium locker room and training facility with hydro therapy pools included in the locker room expansion of the stadium. I would attach pictures but I don't know how! The facility will be completed November 2019. For you anti-borrowing people, no money was borrowed to build. $50mil facility.

UAB, you guys have a IPF, right?

I think 44 million goes a long way, I haven’t seen pics but we will soon.






https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.express...026785.php

Whoever doesn't have one, better get one, or you're falling behind.

(07-26-2019 12:35 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Whoever doesn't have one, better get one, or you're falling behind.

Considering only one team in our division has one, I respectfully disagree. It all depends on what the practice facility is like. It doesn't need to be covered if the weather is tolerable.

(07-26-2019 07:10 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 12:35 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Whoever doesn't have one, better get one, or you're falling behind.

Considering only one team in our division has one, I respectfully disagree. It all depends on what the practice facility is like. It doesn't need to be covered if the weather is tolerable.

I may be misremembering but I believe in ODUs ten years of football, they have had one weather event that necessitated the use of an IPF. It was a Noreaster and we used the VB Field House.

Sometimes I wish we'd practice in the elements more. Just as an example, if WKU has been practicing in 30-40some degree temps all week and we've been practicing in the IPF then they'll be used to playing in the elements come Saturday and we won't.

Or the FIU game this year for example. If it's been cold up here all week and we practice in the IPF. Then neither of us are really used to the cold weather. Even though we're the home team because we've been practicing in the IPF all season aside from 1-2 chilly games in late-October to mid-November.

(07-23-2019 07:25 PM)WWDog Wrote:  If you have a full football field for an IPF, why not just dome your stadium and condition the space? It seems like that would be cheaper.

That's what Memphis is doing with one of the practice fields. They are finally getting the long promised and awaited IPF. Interestingly enough, they were one of the first college teams to have an indoor facility in the 70s. 50 years later, they're catching back up with a full size field and updated extras, recruiting, lounge, dining... A couple of weeks ago, phase one was completed with coaches offices, training, water therapy, operation offices, study areas, work spaces... Phase two, the actual IPF has finally started. Here's the conceptual video from a couple of years ago, not sure what if anything changes.




It's attached to the athletic complex which has seen updated weight, locker and meeting rooms in different phases. The city came through and updated the LB locker room last year. A recruiting room was part of an addition a couple of years ago. Personalized upgrades and dedicated spaces are an often overlooked challenge to having a shared off campus stadium.

(07-26-2019 07:10 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 12:35 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Whoever doesn't have one, better get one, or you're falling behind.

Considering only one team in our division has one, I respectfully disagree. It all depends on what the practice facility is like. It doesn't need to be covered if the weather is tolerable.

I mean that in a different way. IPF's are a recruiting tool more than anything else. No one had them twenty years ago, then the facilities arms race started. I'm sure most power conference schools have one. We can't fall too far behind them, or they leave us further behind. It's about being competitive in recruiting.

Ten years ago, Rice lost Andrew Luck to Stanford because he and his dad made an unannounced visit to Rice one afternoon to check out the facilities. Tom Herman didn't have time to hide/conceal all of the cracked walls and torn carpet. The locker rooms were dismal, to say the least. Herman said that he knew he had "lost him" after that visit.

These kids these days don't care about education. They care about shiny new facilities and playing on television. Everything is backward now.

(07-26-2019 10:01 AM)Ourland Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 07:10 AM)odu09 Wrote:  

(07-26-2019 12:35 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Whoever doesn't have one, better get one, or you're falling behind.

Considering only one team in our division has one, I respectfully disagree. It all depends on what the practice facility is like. It doesn't need to be covered if the weather is tolerable.

I mean that in a different way. IPF's are a recruiting tool more than anything else. No one had them twenty years ago, then the facilities arms race started. I'm sure most power conference schools have one. We can't fall too far behind them, or they leave us further behind. It's about being competitive in recruiting.

Ten years ago, Rice lost Andrew Luck to Stanford because he and his dad made an unannounced visit to Rice one afternoon to check out the facilities. Tom Herman didn't have time to hide/conceal all of the cracked walls and torn carpet. The locker rooms were dismal, to say the least. Herman said that he knew he had "lost him" after that visit.

These kids these days don't care about education. They care about shiny new facilities and playing on television. Everything is backward now.

I mean Stanford is a pretty good school too.

Kids are too coddled today. It's a strength to be able to handle southern heat and humidity. It's an advantage to condition kids in that weather. You're either hard or soft.

There's a story in Mississippi football lore about a JC football coach that lashed a mattress around a pine tree and made his players hit it until a pinecone fell. "Bull, Hurricane" Sullivan, I think his name was. He rolled over in his grave when the 'in the grasp' ruling came about.

(07-26-2019 10:33 AM)USM@FTL Wrote:  Kids are too coddled today. It's a strength to be able to handle southern heat and humidity. It's an advantage to condition kids in that weather. You're either hard or soft.

There's a story in Mississippi football lore about a JC football coach that lashed a mattress around a pine tree and made his players hit it until a pinecone fell. "Bull, Hurricane" Sullivan, I think his name was. He rolled over in his grave when the 'in the grasp' ruling came about.

I completely agree. Problem though is that once someone builds the first one and uses it as a recruiting tool, others then have to keep up with the Joneses. It'll be just a matter of time before those without indoor training facilities will be in the minority, especially in the south.

I can also tell you that here in Texas, there are over 60 high schools in just the Dallas/Forth Worth metroplex that have them. And I think there are over 140 high schools altogether in the state that have them. It's an arms race, and speaking for Texas, there are a lot of recruits here who will not be impressed by an FBS program, or maybe even FCS, if they don't at least have facilities on par with the high school they just graduated from.

(07-26-2019 07:10 AM)odu09 Wrote:  Considering only one team in our division has one, I respectfully disagree. It all depends on what the practice facility is like. It doesn't need to be covered if the weather is tolerable.

Kids buy with their eyes. If you don't believe me just look at your recruiting rankings the last 4 years. If you aren't building, refurbishing or renovating something at all times then you are falling behind.

And I bet their stadiums are bigger than some of our members.

(07-25-2019 08:39 PM)va-eagle Wrote:  UAB, you guys have a IPF, right?

Ours is not indoor, but it's covered.