Our nation’s continued passion for sports combined with fans’ high expectations regarding teams’ performances have pushed players and coaches at all levels to constantly improve. To remain competitive and relevant, teams focus on implementing the latest techniques and technologies into their training routines, which in turn creates the need for enhanced, innovative practice facilities, even at the high school level. Safer, more versatile and more durable than ever before, these top-tier athletic centers help teams perform at their highest abilities. However, without expert architects to concept and design for a school’s athletic needs and knowledgeable construction teams to realize the vision, practice facilities like this would not be possible.
One way specialized design and construction skills come into play is safety and injury prevention, considerations high on the top of the list when it comes to prioritizing an athlete’s and team’s needs. According to an annual injury surveillance study conducted by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the injury rate of 1.80 injuries per 1,000 athletic exposures in 2020-2021 was lower than the 16-year average since the study began in 2005. This decrease in injuries stems from the emphasis that safety and injury prevention play in today’s sports, from better equipment to improved playing facilities. From a construction standpoint, injury prevention can include training room layouts, adequate injury treatment rooms and even factors related to playing surfaces, such as heat, consistency and surface hardness.