Football Training Facility, Fred W. Smith Football Center at the University of Arkansas, Dedicated

September 13, 2013

The University of Arkansas will dedicate the Fred W. Smith Football Center on September 13. The $40 million football training facility, located adjacent to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, is the new home of Razorback Football.

“The University of Arkansas is committed to developing their athletic facilities to remain competitive nationally and the Fred W. Smith Football Center is an important component of their long-term athletic master plan,” said Scott Radecic, Senior Principal at Populous. “The official dedication of the center is a symbolic moment for the program and a necessary step toward the future. This facility was designed with incredible attention paid to the details – from the daily use and efficiency of movement for both student-athletes and coaches, to the strategic placement of branding and graphics, to the specific programmatic needs of the team- to ensure that players, coaches and recruits will walk into the facility and feel that it is representative of the University of Arkansas and Razorback Athletics.”

The 80,000 square foot facility includes a spacious locker room, team meeting rooms,  training room, equipment room, a student-athlete lounge and study area, coaches’ offices, a recruiting reception area and displays throughout the building that pay homage to the traditions of Razorback Football. The new facility will allow for an enhanced development experience for student-athletes, creating a central location where they can train, study and dine.

“The Fred W. Smith Football Center is an important addition to our campus and our athletic program – allowing us to remain competitive in the SEC and nationally and providing our student-athletes with the resources they need to succeed,” said Jeff Long, Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics at the University of Arkansas. “By providing a new centralized location for practice, strength and conditioning workouts, preventative medical care, injury rehabilitation, meetings and media interviews, the Fred W. Smith Center has already dramatically improved the efficiency of the daily schedule of Razorback football student-athletes. As the first major project completed as part of the Razorback Athletics Facilities Master Plan, the Fred W. Smith Football Center is already helping shape the future of our program and the lives of Razorback student-athletes.”

In April 2013, the University announced that the building would be named after Fred W. Smith, the chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation who has played an integral role in the success of the University and Razorback Athletics over many years.

With offices around the globe, including Kansas City and Denver, Populous is a sport and event architecture firm that specializes in the design of arenas, stadiums, ballparks and convention centers. The firm has completed work for more than 130 colleges and universities on projects including football stadiums, arenas, ballparks, training facilities and athletic master plans.

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For more information, contact:
media@populous.com

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