The University of Cincinnati Athletics Department announced the official naming of the new indoor facilities as the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Sheakley Athletics Performance Center.
In appreciation of Larry and Rhonda Sheakley’s generous support, the new state-of-the-art facility will bear their family’s name.
The building will be the permanent home of Cincinnati Football and will be introduced with a ribbon cutting ceremony on June 11.
Nearly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony, the $134 million Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Athletics Performance Center is set to transform Cincinnati Athletics and will be one of the premier facilities of its kind in the country. Recruiting top-tier student-athletes while retaining and developing current talent is the lifeblood of any college athletics program. This new facility has the potential to alter the trajectory of Bearcats Football and the athletic department as a whole and will provide student-athletes and staff with all of the tools necessary to elevate the program to new heights.
“Larry and Rhonda Sheakley have proven time and time again that they are deeply invested in the development and elevation of our athletics programs,” University President Neville Pinto said. “Their unwavering generosity and belief in the power of college athletics continue to shape the future of our student-athletes, both on and off the field. We are grateful for their continued support and for their role in making the Sheakley Athletics Performance Center and the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility a reality.”
The 84,000 square-foot Indoor Practice Facility features a 120-yard football field equipped for multiple sports. The field will provide an all-weather home for Cincinnati football practices and year-round workouts and have direct access to the Performance Center’s weight room, training room and performance nutrition fueling stations.
The field will feature WiFi access and a remote-operated camera system for football as well as a scoreboard, cutting-edge sound system and a built-in Catapult technology system.
The 96,000 square-foot Performance Center features three levels that will provide nearly everything a student-athlete needs to get competition and practice ready in one place, including offices for the football program. Spaces will also be allocated to nutrition, recovery, mental health services, equipment, and more. There will be an athletics-only dining hall that will be open to all student-athletes as well, giving every team at Cincinnati a state-of-the-art place to refuel.