Teas A&M University is launching a renovation of its student recreation center in a project expected to total $54 million. The refurbished center, nicknamed “The Rec,” will increase from 300,000 square feet to 413,000 square feet. The overhaul will result in more weight-room space and a two-court gymnasium expansion. New multipurpose activity rooms will be added, with renovations also planned for the Rec’s swimming pools and related equipment and areas. In addition to the new construction, 56,000 square feet of existing space will be overhauled and a new outdoor plaza will be added, along with a new second entrance and a lighting retrofit. Funding for the project will come from revenue bonds supported by the university’s recreational sports fee. “A…

The University of Michigan recently announced an $8 million plan to renovate Mitchell Field, its main outdoor athletics area. Consisting primarily of a general field and a softball field, the area will undergo a complete overhaul, with artificial turf replacing the existing lawn. Mitchell Field averages 800 users an evening when intramural and club sports are in session, according to the University of Michigan. Rugby, flag football, ultimate Frisbee, and other sports all take place on the field, which was built in 1981. The university hopes the new artificial turf will increase usage flexibility, growing the field’s capacity and extending its operating hours and operating season. The renovation is part of a $173 million plan to renovate the university’s unions,…

The New York-based health club David Barton Gym will take the spotlight on Friday, March 14, as the featured employer on Inside Job, a new reality television series on the TNT network. The show sets four people together in the same living space for five consecutive days, then pits them against each other as they compete for a six-figure job at a large company. One of the four is already an employee of the company; he or she secretly reports back to a high-level executive about the three actual candidates. The end of the show reveals the candidate chosen for the job. Howard Brodsky, David Barton Gym’s CEO, told Club Industry magazine, “I felt this was an unparalleled opportunity to…

February 24, 2014 - A new indoor sports center opening next month in Harrisburg, South Dakota, will feature a 60,000-square-foot field of turf, two sand volleyball courts, and a 9,000-square-foot restaurant. The facility, Perfect Practice Sports Academy, will cater to children’s team sports. Owner Gary Sperber says that the surrounding community already has expressed a great deal of interest in the center. “On the weekends, I bet we have 200 people here, looking at where we are and the progress, and the kids are getting excited, so it’s fun to see that,” he said. He also noted that hundreds of practice sessions have been scheduled through various organizations, and the facility is gearing up to schedule tournaments. The addition of…

February 21, 2014 - Construction for a sports-oriented hotel and 85,000-square-foot sports facility soon will break ground in Chesterfield, Missouri. Florida-based GoodSports Enterprises Global has signed a deal with local developer Dean Wolfe to build a 130-room hotel and adjacent sports center. The complex will sit on 10 acres of a $300 million, 132-acre development area. The concept targets two types of travelers, while also serving the local community. On weekdays, the complex will cater to businesspeople, with the sports area serving local families and sports leagues. On weekends, the facility will host tournaments, with the hotel providing a venue for athletes and their coaches and families. “Pairing a sports facility with a sports-themed hotel is a sensible approach for…

January 24, 2014 - The Breakers, one of the top-ranked hotels in Palm Beach, Florida, has received the local zoning commission’s approval to build a new fitness center. Construction depends on the Town Council, which has the final say; if the plan goes forward, the new center will triple the size of the hotel’s current exercise area. Construction would begin around June 1 and take three to four months to complete. The hotel’s proposal calls for a 4,190-square-foot fitness center on what is now a rooftop terrace. The center will feature an ocean view and will presumably include a wider range of exercise equipment and machinery than is currently available. The present facility occupies a 1,400-square-foot space on the ground…

January 24, 2014 - Fitness First, the UK-based gym chain with branches throughout Europe and Asia, announced a £225 million brand overhaul. With more than twenty years of business under its belt, the chain is looking to upgrade its look, clubs, and customer service. The first phase of rebranding has begun, with a £1.5 million marketing campaign designed to communicate the new corporate identity to customers. Advertisements in the new campaign position the club as “rewriting the rules of fitness.” For example, part of the overhaul includes a shift in “fitness philosophy,” with the gym pushing a freestyle fitness regime based on natural movement. An ad titled “Rule #3” features the slogan “Focus on Movement, Not on Machines.” Other ads…

January 6, 2014 - Fitness industry veterans Jill Kinney and Bill McBride opened a new club at the start of 2014, rebranding the former Club One Petaluma (CA) as Active Sports Clubs. The facility will be managed by Clubsource Development Partners LLC, founded by Kinney in 2006; she serves as the company’s chairperson, and McBride is its president and CEO. “I made the decision to launch this new company and brand because I felt it was the next step towards delivering my vision,” Kinney told the online magazine Club Industry. Her company, Clubsource, is a development business that specializes in private community centres that provide a for-profit, contemporary alternative to financially strapped neighborhoods. “I truly see our role as one…

January 2, 2014 - Plans for a new baseball and softball complex in Peoria, Illinois, have been under way for some time, but only recently was the partnership behind the complex revealed: Louisville Slugger, the 130-year-old maker of baseball and softball bats, has signed on with developers to complete the project. Featuring 10 outdoor youth fields, plus a 125,000-square foot dome for year-round play, the new $33 million facility will be called the Louisville Slugger Sports Complex. City officials expect the complex to host between 11,000 and 12,000 games annually, approximately 10,000 games more than Peoria has been hosting for a number of years at an existing facility. Projected to have a core reach of about a 300-mile radius, the…

December 20, 2013 - Mossa, the Marietta, GA-based company previously known as Body Training Systems, has partnered with Xbox to create an online fitness service that could eventually lead consumers to the gym and that will promote participating health clubs. Through the partnership, Mossa has launched Xbox Fitness, a library of workout videos from top trainers and brands, including Jillian Michaels and Tracy Anderson, as well as Beachbody’s P90X and Insanity. The videos teach home users workouts they can do at their own pace and then guide them into health clubs by offering a free pass to visit Mossa group fitness classes. “With this unique Xbox Fitness partnership and the growing popularity of our group fitness programs worldwide, we’re entering…