CHANNEL 1 LOS ANGELES
BY AURELIO CUERVO
LOS ANGELES 4/4/18
The $30 million, privately funded facility is a unique partnership with Cal State LA, the premier public comprehensive university in the heart of Los Angeles. LAFC has committed $1.6 million in support to the University, including funding a renovation of the school’s Jesse Owens Track in the Billie Jean King Sports Complex.
“Building this Performance Facility is not only an important step in the development of our players and coaches, but it is a true symbol of our commitment to the City of Los Angeles,” said LAFC Club President and Owner Tom Penn. “Our vision of engaging the L.A. community is perfectly aligned with Cal State LA, and we look forward to deepening our relationship here. We want to extend a huge thank you to Gensler, AECOM Hunt and Legends for their hard work and commitment into making this dream a reality.”
As part of the LAFC – Cal State LA partnership, the Club will assist in the development of a new master’s degree program in sport operations and athlete representation, and Cal State LA Kinesiology students will also perform clinical practicum hours with the team at the facility and within the Club’s youth academy. In addition, LAFC contributed $100,000 to the Cal State LA athletic department last fall.
“Cal State LA and LAFC are excited to build together in the heart of Los Angeles. The LAFC Soccer Training Facility at Cal State LA represents our mutual commitment to creating opportunities in Los Angeles and beyond,” said Cal State LA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jose A. Gomez. “Cal State LA and LAFC share, and will score, many goals together.”
The LAFC Performance Center features locker rooms, sports medicine facilities, office space for LAFC coaches and staff and 95,550 sq. ft. of Latitude 36 (hybrid Bermuda) grass exactly mirroring that of Banc of California Stadium.
“We are proud to have designed this unique and best-in-class performance facility that was made possible by the innovative vision of LAFC,” said Steve Chung, Design Director at Gensler Sports. “This facility is distinctively Los Angeles, centered on a comprehensive indoor / outdoor training philosophy and a fully integrated workplace for players and staff to collaborate. This was a true team effort between LAFC, Cal State LA, Legends, AECOM Hunt and Gensler.”
Designed to celebrate the unique character and climate of Los Angeles, the building has indoor/outdoor connectivity anchored at the root of the design. Every space that faces the pitch maximizes opportunities for players to live and work in the pristine Los Angeles environment.
“Excellence in performance begins with a strong foundation,” said Eric Schreiner, Executive Vice President of AECOM Hunt. “We’re proud to have delivered a facility that provides this to the LAFC.”
The facility has a 4,000 sq. ft. area allocated as a sports medicine, weight room and
recovery space, which are open and visually connected to one another. The trainers and strength coaches will function as a unified performance staff, sharing offices and meeting spaces to custom tailor and integrate the performance regimen of each player.
“Huge thanks to Gensler, AECOM Hunt and the 400+ construction workers for their incredible work on this project,” Legends Senior Project Manager Shelby Jordan II said. “Faced with an incredibly tight time frame, they delivered two weeks early and on-budget. We are proud of what the team created and we’re honored to be written into LAFC’s history.”
The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) officially opened its brand new, 30,000 sq. ft. Performance Facility today on the campus of Cal State LA. The facility is the new home to the Club’s MLS players, staff, coaches and LAFC Academy. Gensler Sports and AECOM Hunt served as the design build team on the innovative project, with Legends acting as the Project Manager.