This new football training facility and accompanying outdoor practice areas provide everything players need to practice, train, eat, recover and study under one state-of-the-art roof. Adjacent to Kroger Field and Nutter Field House, the facility looks out onto two outdoor practice fields surrounded by turf training areas and a training stair. Inside, visitors are greeted by an impressive, graphic-rich lobby with showcase spaces for uniforms and players as well as interactive displays. A 15,000-square-foot weight room features a cutting-edge sound system and custom workout equipment. Just outside the weight room, the “training table” offers three meals a day and a Gatorade Fuel Bar offers customized shakes, drinks and snacks. The new team locker room is personalized with player photos and giant graphics, its own barber shop and an adjoining video game and billiard lounge.

The new 101,000 square foot Football Training Center is only the third LEED Silver facility in the SEC and showcases the University of Kentucky’s leadership in green building and its long-term commitment to sustainable design. The project optimized energy performance by using high efficiency HVAC systems along with increased thermal performance of the building envelope. Indoor air quality was particularly important in this environment for high-performance athletes, and materials were selected to minimize or eliminate off gassing. In addition, materials from nearby sources were used to minimize transportation costs and carbon emissions. Transom light systems and skylights bathe the facility in natural light to minimize energy consumption and maximize athlete performance.