Notre Dame Set to Break Ground on New Football Facility
Notre Dame held a groundbreaking for its new football facility, the Jack and Kathy Shields Hall, on Saturday morning.
The facility will be located on Courtney Lane on the east side of campus and will open in the Fall of 2026, which will allow for a future renovation of The Gug for Notre Dame 26 varsity sports.
“The Shields family’s remarkable gift, together with the support of many others, will enable us to greatly enhance our ability to support student-athletes physically, mentally, socially and academically,” Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., said in a statement. “Notre Dame has long been committed to both athletic success and care for the well-being of our student-athletes, and this new facility will help us to excel on the field while we advance the study of sports science, nutrition and medicine on campus, with benefits for athletes everywhere.”
New Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua highlighted the space the new facility will provide, but also allow the Irish to lead the nation in sports performance.
“I could not be more humbled by the gifts from Jack and Kathy Shields and others, which will ensure our student-athletes and staff have the tools to be successful on the field, in the classroom and in life,” said Bevacqua. “This building will be yet another testament to the support of our football program, solidifying that we have the top gameday facility (Notre Dame Stadium), a best-in-class indoor facility (Irish Athletics Center) and now a brand-new operations center (Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall). Furthermore, this undertaking allows us to continue our effort to be the most advanced sports performance unit in college athletics with an addition of over 80,000 square feet dedicated to the success of our student-athletes through the renovation of the Gug.
“The idea of former student-athletes investing in the future of Notre Dame football is a strong sign of the vitality of the program.”
The new facility will check in at 150,000 square feet, which is almost 50 percent larger than The Gug.
It will also include an advanced training room; a stand-alone sports medicine facility; an equipment facility with body scanning and fabrication technology; a new and expanded locker room; meeting rooms, including a two-level, all-team auditorium and an augmented reality walkthrough room; media innovation spaces, including recording studios and photo studios; academic support spaces; and a new player nutrition area designed to foster community between teams and model healthy eating.
In addition to the Shields Family, Notre Dame received contributions from Pat and Jana Eilers, Dave and Clare Butler and others who wish to remain anonymous.
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