Illinois State’s Indoor Practice Facility opened in September 2023 and has provided welcome relief from the elements during bad weather and throughout the team’s current playoff run. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Barry Bottino
One of the most impactful additions to the Illinois State football program doesn’t wear a jersey or coach a position. But it makes life easier for all of those who do.
“It’s beautiful,” junior defensive lineman Jake Anderson said of ISU’s 2-year-old Indoor Practice Facility, an $11.5 million venue approved in 2021 by ISU’s Board of Trustees. “It’s been great to go in there and practice.”
Opened in September 2023, the facility is a heated fabric air dome that can be used year-round. It features a 100-yard practice field with a single end zone and the artificial turf surface matches that of Hancock Stadium.
ISU head coach Brock Spack often refers to the facility as “a game changer.”
During the team’s playoff run this season – which will be highlighted by an appearance in the Jan. 5 FCS national title game against Montana State in Nashville – the bubble has provided shelter from winter weather and the ability to have productive workouts.
“You walk outside in the morning and it’s like negative-3 degrees,” Anderson said. “They’ve got it at a nice comfortable 70 in there. We’ve all got our t-shirts and shorts on.”
What players wear in practice during the playoffs has been in stark contrast to previous winters.
“I’m not shaking, in a jacket, when I’ve got to come off the field,” Anderson said. “That part is awesome. Physically, you’re not out there playing stiff. Mentally, you get to prep for how you’re going to be feeling in the game.
“You’re able to simulate the game in practice, which is the point of practice,” he said.
Some players, like senior linebacker Reese Edwards, still enjoy chilly game days.
“I like playing outside, no matter the weather,” he said. “But on days when it was snowing, we would have to delay practice. You have to worry about less now.”
The facility also comes up – of course – while recruiting players.
“When I was being recruited, it wasn’t up yet. But they did mention that it would be up when I got here. It’s been huge,” junior offensive lineman Brayden Jellison said.
Despite still being a new addition, the bubble has made players quickly forget how life was before the facility.
“Even though we’ve only had it for a couple years, talking about pre-bubble sounds like the dark ages,” Edwards said.
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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