Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility opens, elevating Cincinnati athletics

The Cincinnati Bearcats unveiled a brand new 180,000 square foot,  $134 million practice facility and performance center. Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Sheakley Athletics Performance Center are named after Larry and Rhonda Sheakley after they gave the largest gift in the history of Cincinnati Athletics. The gift was the tide-turner for the start of construction. 

The project was approved in Dec. 2021, and construction on the practice facility and performance center started in May 2023 and continued until it was completed and opened on June 11, 2025. Just around 42 months of planning and construction. 

The indoor practice facility covers 84,000 square feet and features a full football field, providing a year-round all-weather home for Cincinnati athletics. The field has complete WiFi access, a remote-operated camera system, a scoreboard, a surround sound system, and a catapult tech system. 

The performance center covers 96,000 square feet through three levels and will provide every need for the Bearcat student athletes. The performance center had offices for Cincinnati Football, nutrition stations for all sports, fueling station for football, sports performance weight room, athletic training room, recovery stations, mental health services, equipment room, and a creative suite. 

Sheakley's opening immediately makes it one of the NCAA’s premiere facilities for athletes, Sheakley as an investment should impact Cincinnati Athletics in a positive way making it easier to recruit and keep athletes happy while they are at Cincinnati.