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UT Institute of Agriculture > Athletic Research and Performance Center

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     The University of Tennessee Center for Athletic Field Safety (CAFS), in partnership with American Sports Centers (ACS) and Integrated Consulting Group, Inc. (ICG, Inc.), is working to create the Center for Athletic Research and Performance with a goal of reducing or eliminating the number of sport-related injuries resulting from athlete to playing surface interactions.


     The proposed Research and Performance Center, created in partnership with the University of Tennessee Center for Athletic Field Safety and the sports related industries and organizations, will be a fully functional sports complex as well as a research facility focusing on playing surface and athlete interactions. Skilled turfgrass, biomechanical, and kinesiology researchers will work alongside medical physicians from around the world to conduct research and educate the public to optimize athlete performance and reduce sports related injuries.


      ​To get involved in this groundbreaking project, email Dr. John Sorochan at sorochan@utk.edu, Rickey McCallum at rmccall6@utk.edu​, and/or Tom Looney at tlooney@utfi.org​


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To learn more about the UT Turfgrass Science and Management program - click here​


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The Vision


     The Athletic Research and Performance Center will be a one-of-a-kind research facility that will also function as a major sports center. In addition to being as the world’s leading sports complex focusing on athlete-to-surface interactions with regard to performance and safety, this facility will host athletic sporting and training events. This unique partnership will allow researchers to investigate real world conditions to better understand athlete performance and safety variables, ultimately advancing athlete performance lessoning likelihood for injuries for athletes of all ages.

 

     The Athletic Research and Performance Center will be a testing facility and working sports complex for all levels of athletes (youth to professionals) and will be created in four phases:


·      Phase I: Outdoor performance and testing fields, including two natural turf (one cool‐season and one warm‐season grass) fields and two synthetic fields; breaking ground in 2017

·      Phase II: An indoor performance and testing lab that includes six basketball courts that can convert to nine volleyball courts, a motion capture court for athlete testing, and one indoor soccer pitch; breaking ground in 2017

·      Phase III: An indoor football/soccer/rugby complex that will be a full-size synthetic field for research, athlete training, and competitions; breaking ground in 2018

·      Phase IV: An outdoor baseball and softball complex that will consist of one baseball and two softball field; breaking ground in 2019

 

     The Athletic Research and Performance Center will be located at the University of Tennessee Institute for Agriculture East Tennessee Research and Education Center in Knoxville, TN.


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The Partners


     UT Center for Athletic Field Safety (CAFS) researchers, led by Dr. John Sorochan​, Distinguished Professor, focus on researching athlete performance and safety testing on natural and artificial turf surfaces, and work closely with experts and industry professionals to advance the understanding for sports surface performance and safety criteria. 

 

     Dr. Songning Zhang, Professor of Biomechanics, is the director of the Biomechanics and Sports Medicine Lab, and Dr. Joshua Weinhandl, Assistant Professor, in the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies, at The University of Tennessee work closely with CAFS researchers, providing expertise for injury mechanisms and prevention, biomechanical functions of footwear and sporting surfaces, lower extremity injury biomechanics, movement coordination and variability.

 

     ASC USA, LLC, together with its operating subsidiaries, is one of the nation’s leading operators of multi‐purpose recreational facilities. ASC helps private entities, cities, and counties plan, design, construct, maintain, and operate first‐class indoor and outdoor recreational sports facilities that accommodate local league and tournament play as well as national destination events.

 

     ICG, Inc. has a passion for creating innovative athletic facilities that celebrate the joy of indoor and outdoor activities. ICG’s team of professionals covers the spectrum of design consulting services, including planning, architecture, and landscape architecture. Each design discipline is led by a licensed, experienced professional with a track record of successful projects. ICG’s principals have assisted ASC with several prior projects at varying locations and are intimately familiar with ASC’s intent, goals, and design philosophy.​ 

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