Penn State Athletics Moving Forward with Plans for Practice Bubble, Turf Field

Penn State Athletics is moving forward with planning for an air dome that would provide a seasonal indoor practice facility for several sports.

The College Township Planning Commission on Tuesday night recommended council approval of a preliminary/final land development plan for the proposed air supported practice structure and turf field near Jeffrey Field along University Drive.

The structure would be operational roughly six months out of the year and then taken down during spring and summer months, leaving behind just the turf field, according to Michael Vaow, project manager for Stahl Shaeffer Engineering. The practice bubble would provide the soccer, field hockey and lacrosse programs with better indoor practice space primarily during winter months when outdoor practice is not feasible and alleviate scheduling pressure at Holuba Hall, which is currently used by multiple teams.

The structure and field would impact grass parking in that area for Penn State football games, and those displaced by the change have already been notified.

Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the project at a cost of $9.8 million in May 2023 as part of about $68 million worth of capital projects spanning various aspects of athletics’ infrastructure.

The turf field and practice bubble will be located adjacent to a planned Jeffrey Field operations center, part of a $21 million renovation plan for the soccer facility. The operations center is slated to include home and visiting team locker rooms, training facilities, hydrotherapy, strength and conditioning space, coaches offices, meeting rooms, restrooms and concessions, according to the Office of Physical Plant website.

The Jeffrey Field renovation plan is expected to come forward for township approval and bidding in approximately two months, Vaow said.

According to Penn State Office of Physical Plant documents, bids for construction of the air supported structure and turf field project are due in late March. Stahl Sheaffer Engineering, Crawford Architects and Massaro Construction Management are working on the project.

The brief presentation given to the College Township Planning Commission did not feature any renderings, although engineering schematics did provide a glimpse into the footprint of the building. The landscaping plan, seen below, is the best view available of what the fully completed sequence of projects might look like. The operations center, parking and Jeffrey Field renovations will come at a later date and are not part of this particular plan.

Penn State athletics currently has multiple undertakings set to go out for bid or already out to bid including a roof replacement to the East Area Locker Room and various aspects of the early stages of the Beaver Stadium renovation project. No tuition funding will be used for any athletics’ expenditures related to facility upgrades or construction.