ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington Department of Athletics will partner with Populous, one of the world's leading architecture and sport event planning firms, to collaborate on programming, developing and producing a comprehensive evaluation of all athletics facilities and eventual tie in to the UTA Campus Master Plan.
 
The Master Plan – #MavFuture: Together Arlington, Forever Arlington – will not only strategically address current and long-term needs, improvements and facility expansion for the majority of the department's Division-I teams, but also help revitalize and reinvigorate the entire West side of campus. The #MavFuture Master Plan expands beyond just athletics, with the goal of positively impacting numerous key university stakeholders from student organizations to academic entities and recreational sports.
 
Populous is a global architecture and design firm that creates the places where people love to gather, including the likes of Texas A&M's Kyle Field, Baylor's McLane Stadium and Mississippi State's Dudy Noble Field renovation. Over the last 40 years, the firm has designed more than 3,000 projects worth $40 billion across emerging and established markets, with 300+ collegiate projects and 45 athletics master plans.
 
"This Master Plan will be critical as we develop a comprehensive outline for the short- and long-term future of UTA Athletics," said Director of Athletics Jim Baker. "This study will encompass all of our current outdoor-sport venues and spaces, and it will be vital in helping us determine our best options for ensuring success of our student-athletes, enhancing the fan experience and adding value for our alumni, fans and community members. Additionally, we want to ensure this Master Plan is all-inclusive and designed to benefit the entire campus population by creating new facilities and career-development opportunities for all UTA students."
 
The #MavFuture Master Plan will address West Campus venues for UTA's baseball, softball, tennis, golf, cross country and track and field programs, which in total includes 12 of the Mavs' 15 current D-I teams. The goal is to provide UTA with a detailed vision for the future with a phased implementation strategy that responds to current needs, is economically viable and flexible enough to adapt to the fluctuating environment of intercollegiate athletics.
 
The scope of work is also expected to include a site plan that enhances student, alumni and community engagement, pedestrian and vehicular traffic, donor relations and branding and sponsorship opportunities.
 
"We're excited to bring a global perspective to our backyard and create an athletics master plan that's unique to Arlington," said Jonathan Kelly, Populous Principal in Charge. "With our team based out of Dallas, we'll be on campus every week working closely with the university and truly immersing ourselves in the needs of UTA students, staff and the community."
 
Populous representatives and #MavFuture Master Plan constituents from campus, the athletic department and Arlington community have already conducted more than 25 informational-gathering sessions to better understand all points of view on the project – a dialogue which will continue throughout the course of the project.
 
Populous' athletics master plan experience includes Texas A&M, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Texas A&M-Commerce, Penn State and Northwestern, among others.
 
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