George Mason University
Athletic and Recreation Master Plan
In the spring of 2004, George Mason University retained the team of Brailsford & Dunlavey and EwingCole to pursue a 10-year athletics and recreation master plan for the Fairfax campus. In the first phase of the process, demand for indoor and outdoor facilities for the 22-sport Division I intercollegiate athletics program, club sports program, intramural program, and general recreation program was researched and analyzed through a variety of means:
- Coach, staff, and administration interviews
- Student focus groups
- Benchmarking with peer and cross-applicant institutions
- Review of Division I and regional conference game / tournament requirements and trends
- Schedule analysis for capacity and utilization patterns
- Review of existing conditions and planning parameters
- Review of projections for general enrollment and for on-campus residency
Recommended capital projects were then developed and different campus layouts were considered in order to meet an optimal configuration to most effectively address the University’s goals and mission. There were several key issues involved in the final concept:
- Accommodating the possibility of Division I-AA football within the next 10 years without limiting opportunities for current sports to develop
- Centralizing or decentralizing athletics on campus
- Minimizing the impact of revenue-generating events in the basketball arena on University programs to maintain a reliable service to teams, clubs, and intramural participants
- Making the best use of existing facilities with renovations, enhanced with additions
Based on the 10-year plan, an aging building was revitalized to provide greater support for the varsity volleyball and wrestling teams, as well as needed additional campus recreation space. Opened in September 2009, the 120,000 square foot Recreation and Athletic Complex is home to Intramural Sports, Club Sports, ROTC, and part of the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism. Other aspects of the plan included dedicating space to varsity strength and conditioning, relocating stands for varsity soccer, improving spectator and game-day amenities, coordinating athletic training curriculum space with varsity clinic space, relocating academic support services, encompassing the campus with walking and biking paths, and resurfacing a central outdoor field from grass to multi-sport artificial turf to better accommodate club football and intramurals.