Notre Dame’s indoor facilities were in need of an overhaul for a long time. The University used this off-season to do just that by building a brand new indoor facility for the football team that opened up yesterday with some OTA work by the team.
Notre Dame’s old indoor facilities had been limiting in the past, but that is no longer the case with a full sized field and much higher ceilings. The Irish had previously used the Loftus Sports Center for indoor practice. The 30 year old complex had lower ceilings that impacted special teams practice and featured a track around the football field that caused some safety concerns at times.
The Loftus was also being used for upwards of 18 hours a day during the season which caused logistics nightmares as well. That will no longer be a concern for Brian Kelly and his staff as they design their practice schedules.
First day in our new home. pic.twitter.com/oKWpw1YFbS
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One thing you won’t see an abundance of at the new indoor facility though is frivolous amenities. While Notre Dame focused on building top of the line training facilities, they resisted the urge to join the arms race in college football of adding ridiculous amenities to the facility. This type of decision will always be debated by the fans as Notre Dame attempts to keep up with the other elite programs in the country while staying true to its core values.
This is the latest in a line of improvements to Notre Dame’s facilities that have occured during Brian Kelly’s tenure including replacing the old grass with turf, installing a jumbtron in Notre Dame Stadium as part of the Campus Crossroads Project, and upgrading the locker room two years ago. There’s still work to be done to upgrade other components of Notre Dame football facilities, but this is another step in the right direction for the program.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
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