Important Factors in Accepting an Athletic Scholarship: Athletic Facilities

With many senior athletes throughout the country coming to decisions or at least narrowing things down this time of year, I think it is important to break down a number of factors in the decision process. There will be a variety of things that I cover here and in the future so it is something to keep an eye on if you want to learn more about some important aspects in the college decision.

In this edition, I will be taking a look at how much of a factor the athletic facilities should play in your decision. When saying athletic facilities, there is a broad scoop of things that I am talking about. This includes the stadium, weight room, training room, academic help for sports, and absolutely everything that is talked about in terms of athletics.

It is important to feel comfortable with the athletic facilities because this is where you will be at the next four or five years of your life. And unless some renovations happen (Which do occur frequently at larger programs), you will be trying to reach your peak potential at this school.

Getting a good feel for the athletic facilities will also show you as a recruit how much emphasis is put on spots at that school. For example, one Division III schools recently put a 30 million dollar addition on while another school spent $100,000 on an upgraded weight room. Since they compete in the same conference, do you have any guesses on which one has more of an athletic focus at their school?

Before most athletes do make a decision, they take trips to the school multiple times. While on those unofficial visits, try to see as much of the athletic facilities as you can. Check out the weight room that is for the athletes or even sports specific. See what the stadium is like and imagine it packed full of people watching you on a Saturday afternoon. Chances are you will get hurt and need to see the training room. Is it state of the art? Do they have a lot of whirl pools? How do they help you with rehab? Do they have good trainers? This is all the type of thing that you must look into when trying to get a feel for athletic facilities.

One thing that does happen a lot in the recruiting process is that coaches make a lot of promises about things getting upgraded and remodeled. While I don’t want to say they are lying, in most cases, the plans take a little longer than the coach wants. So instead of playing in the new stadium or gym as a freshman, they may just be finishing as you graduate college. Take what they say with a grain of salt and believe them once they start digging. When that is done, it really means things are actually going to be built.

I would also ask the coach a lot of questions about the facilities and see what they say. If they tell you the track is twenty years old and you are a runner, it probably will not be good for your joints. The good thing about the Internet as well is that many colleges have pictures of their facilities online. And while I would never take an Internet tour over the real thing, if the school is far away this may be your best option.

Every athlete wants to play at a great school with great athletic facilities. Even though that does not always work out, you will be disappointed if you do not really look into the facilities and figure out what you want in a future college. That is why I feel athletic facilities are a vital consideration of what school you will be playing sports at.

Previous recruiting specific articles to look at:

• Important Factors in Accepting an Athletic Scholarship: Location