Clayco

Architect:

HNTB

Client:

University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign

Scope Of Work

The facility will feature new and expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, player development areas, and other areas for recruiting and prospect hosting.
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The Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Center is the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s new 107,650-square-foot football facility adjoining the south end of the Irwin Indoor Practice Facility. The new, world-class Smith Football Center demonstrates an institutional commitment to building, supporting, and sustaining a winning football program.

The Smith Football Center features new and expanded strength and conditioning and sports medicine space, coaches’ offices, position meeting rooms, player development areas, locker rooms, and other areas for recruiting and prospect hosting. The Center also houses the Levenick Auditorium with sweeping views of the practice fields, a nutrition center and additional fueling stations throughout, a grand lobby displaying Illinois’ football history, and a players lounge complete with game room and barber shop.

The center opened to the athletes, coaches and staff at the start of the 2019 football season.

“It’s a little like Christmas Day,” said head coach Lovie Smith, “We got to witness genuine excitement from our players. We’ve been talking a lot about a new day in Illinois football and for me as a football coach, for our current players to have an opportunity to train in a facility as good as anyone’s around and that’s what we have given them.”