New EMU multi-purpose facility expands opportunities for year-round sports

A group of Eastern Michigan University staff members, coaches, athletes, regents and administrators were on hand Oct. 20 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the University's new multi-purpose indoor sports practice facility.

It was a perfect, crisp fall morning, but the crowd of more than 100 knew that such days come in short supply during the academic year in Michigan.

FACILITY BLUEPRINT: (from left) Regents Chairman Roy Wilbanks, EMU Athletic Director Derrick Gragg and EMU President Susan Martin pose with a rendering of the new multi-purpose indoor sports practice facility during a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 20. The inflatable dome will serve as a practice facility for EMU's sports teams and be opened to soccer teams in the Ypsilanti community.

The facility, which will be an inflatable dome, will open doors to sports teams around the University and in the Ypsilanti community, offering a year-round opportunity to play and practice.

Among the attendees was Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference.   He said such buildings are now viewed as essential elements for collegiate athletic programs at this level.

"Once, facilities like this were luxuries," Steinbrecher said. "That day is long past. Now they are necessities."

Of the six teams in the MAC West Division, which includes Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Toledo, Northern Illinois, Ball State and EMU, only Ball State now lacks a similar facility.

Derrick Gragg, EMU's athletic director, said the facility is crucial for team development and in recruiting.  

"This is a great day in EMU athletic history..." Gragg said. "This will go a long way toward helping level the playing field."

Women's Soccer Coach Scott Hall said the new facility will enable his team to train year-round, noting that his team had often played in the rain this season. Hall called the facility "a huge recruiting advantage," but also noted the facility is available for other students, along with the community at large.

"It's another doorway for students to find their way to the university," he said.

The new multi-purpose facility, which will cost $3.9 million, will be located near the corner of Huron River Drive and Westview Drive, near the northeast corner of Rynearson Stadium.

More on this story...