SMU students have noticed the extremely quick development of a new building on the boulevard. With its completion drawing near, Hannah Waldron got a first look at the new building.

Senior Associate AD for Development Matt Peters said that the new facility will have multiple uses.

“Obviously, it’s an indoor-practice facility for our football program,” Peter said. “That’ll be the primary purpose of the facility. We anticipate all of our sports being able to train, and practice in there.”

The facility will have a multi-purpose room for events, recruitment offices, and an indoor field.

SMU Football player Pono Davis is very excited about the new building.

“Availability and use of indoor facilities is gonna help us so much just because just this last year we’ve had to be traveling and just being able to practice when the weather is difficult and lightning and just heat during the summer,” Davis explained.

Administrators, coaches, and players hope that the new facility will help all sports compete at a higher level by increasing recruitment potential.

“It’s really exciting that we have the resources to put up the indoor facilities.” SMU Track & Field high jumper Cassie Ackemann said. “A lot of schools already have indoor tracks or indoor facilities, so now in recruiting we will be able to compete with those big power 5 schools and it really puts us on the map.”

Originally, the building was designed with a $50 million budget, but it was redesigned to fit the $27 million that was raised.

“The facility was privately funded. The majority of the gifts were 7-figure and above to help get us to be able to build this facility,” Peters said.

Construction began on the new indoor practice facility in February of 2018 and should be completed this August.