SMU Reveals Master Plans
SMU has unveiled plans for a new Indoor Performance Center as they stride closer to the finish line on their $150 million athletics facilities master plan, which was approved by the Board of Trustees last fall and will serve 17 sports on campus, and more than 400 student athletes.
Phase one projects include a full-sized football field surrounded by a 300-meter track that will replace the current track and soccer field site, a new outdoor football practice field adjacent to the center, and a new soccer stadium to replace the current soccer practice fields along Mockingbird Lane.
Construction for this first phase will begin once 80 percent of its expected $50 million price tag is pledged by donors and will be scheduled for completion within 16 months from that date. According to SMU officials, the project is not expected to impact traffic.
These projects follow the success of the Second Century Campaign when the athletics department reached more than $191 million in gift pledges after just 18 months.
The Mustang Club, SMU’s fundraising organization for the athletics department, has more than doubled their annual giving since 2012, from $2.6 million to $5.5 million.
The university holds the second-largest athletics budget among non-autonomy conference schools, and the second-largest football budget in the American Athletic Conference, according to Equity in Athletics Data Analysis reports. Since 2001, SMU has funneled almost $200 million into their athletics facilities.
SMU has not announced future phases of the master plan yet.
