Athletic facility owners—from school districts and universities to municipalities and private operators—face a common challenge: meeting growing demand with aging infrastructure and limited athletic field availability. Providing athletes with safe, regulation-compliant, high-performing facilities requires more than routine maintenance. It demands a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy.
While playing surfaces often receive the most attention, the supporting infrastructure—including stormwater systems, fencing, pavement, dugouts, and bleachers—deteriorates over time, regardless of how well it is maintained. At the same time, expanding athletic programs, increased participation, and year-round field use place greater demands on existing facilities. Eventually, many organizations reach a tipping point where available space and scheduling capacity can no longer support their programs.
That is where comprehensive athletic facility planning becomes essential. The LA Group regularly partners with clients to evaluate the condition, adequacy, and long-term potential of athletic and recreational properties. The process begins with a collaborative review involving athletic directors, coaches, maintenance staff, business officials, and other stakeholders who work together to define current operational challenges and identify deficiencies in existing facilities. These discussions establish both current and future needs while highlighting challenges created by existing site layouts and facility limitations.
A comprehensive assessment of athletic fields and supporting venues follows, during which each asset is evaluated for condition, functionality, and long-term performance. The assessment typically includes:
- Field Conditions: Is routine maintenance sufficient to ensure safe, playable surfaces, or is reconstruction required?
- Stormwater Management: Do fields experience seasonal wetness, standing water, or poor drainage that limits use?
- Access and Circulation: Are parking areas and pedestrian pathways adequate, safe, and accessible?
- Regulatory Compliance & Flexibility: Do venues meet current field and court size standards? Is there room for future expansion as program needs evolve?
This inventory-driven process not only identifies areas requiring improvement but also uncovers opportunities for creative, cost-effective solutions.
For one client, expanding an undersized varsity softball field would have required demolishing relatively new dugouts. Instead, The LA Group proposed reconstructing an adjacent junior varsity field that offered more available space and fewer existing amenities. This approach created a new regulation-sized varsity field while upgrading both venues at a lower overall cost.
With a clear understanding of existing conditions and future needs, The LA Group develops a strategic master plan tailored to each client, with phased implementation carefully considered. These plans outline venue-specific improvements while illustrating how each enhancement contributes to the broader athletic campus. Accompanying cost estimates allow clients to make informed funding decisions and confidently phase construction over time, ensuring each project supports a cohesive long-term vision.
Having planned and designed more than 200 athletic facilities—including more than 100 synthetic turf fields—The LA Group brings extensive experience to every project. Its planning process is collaborative, data-driven, and adaptable, resulting in athletic environments that continue to meet the evolving needs of athletes, spectators, and facility owners for decades.
Case Study: Building a Campus Legacy at Skidmore College
In 2025, The LA Group reached a milestone more than 30 years in the making by completing work at every athletic venue on the Skidmore College campus. The achievement reflects a long-standing partnership built on thoughtful planning, innovative design, and phased implementation of complex athletic environments.
Over the years, The LA Group has partnered with Skidmore College on a wide range of athletic planning and design initiatives, including a new turf softball field, the Capital Region’s first dedicated turf field hockey facility, expansion of the riding stables, a rowing boathouse expansion, a new equestrian complex, resurfacing of the main stadium turf field and running track, planning for pickleball courts, evaluation of a potential indoor hockey facility, new locker rooms, and both outdoor and indoor tennis facilities. Most recently, the firm designed and oversaw construction of a new turf baseball field, completing improvements to every athletic venue on campus.
The breadth of this work demonstrates not only The LA Group’s expertise across virtually every type of athletic facility but also its ability to guide institutions through long-term campus planning.
Many of these projects also required complex environmental review and regulatory approvals. The LA Group successfully integrated athletic facility planning with traffic studies, NYSDEC wetland permitting, stormwater management compliance, SEQRA review, and documentation demonstrating no significant environmental impacts. The ability to seamlessly combine athletic design with environmental analysis and permitting expertise continues to distinguish the firm and deliver added value to its clients.
