First look inside Shields Family Hall, the new home of Notre Dame Football

Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall, the new home of Fighting Irish football, opened its doors today as the team gears up for an exciting 2026 season.

Check out the video below for an inside look at the brand-new 150,000-square-foot facility. Shields Family Hall features an elite sports performance center, an immaculate locker room, an expansive auditorium, an augmented reality walkthrough room, academic support spaces, a spacious training room, and much more. The hall also features a shared dining area for all student-athletes, encouraging camaraderie and collision among teams under one roof.

This project will redefine what it means to have a football facility, according to Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua.

Uniquely Notre Dame

The details around every corner of Shields Family Hall make it uniquely Notre Dame. There’s Notre Dame Stadium brick throughout the interior; signature design elements from the stadium and campus, including the Golden Dome, are woven throughout; and you can see the endzone Founder’s Lines in the locker room.

History is on display, from the iconic gold paint and texture in key spaces to Notre Dame’s coaching history wall and Shamrock Series exhibit. In these spaces, innovation meets tradition. Follow @ndfootball on social media for an in-depth look at these special elements.

Fostering excellence on and off the field

Shields Family Hall’s thoughtful design includes space for the College of Science and Notre Dame Research to partner with Athletics in the study of human performance, sports science, medicine, and nutrition. This is another way the hall represents the championship mindset and academic prowess that together define Notre Dame Athletics.

Building champions who become tomorrow’s leaders

The visionary leadership and transformative generosity of Notre Dame benefactors made this hall a reality for Fighting Irish student-athletes and athletics programs. This project represents strong investment from many former football players and other student-athletes, whose leadership and support were invaluable in getting the project off the ground.

Shields Family Hall was made possible with support from a generous gift from Jack and Kathy Shields. Jack is a former linebacker for Notre Dame Football and is a member of the Advisory Council for the Student-Athlete. Both he and Kathy are also members of various Notre Dame Giving Societies.

Their investment, together with all the benefactors who contributed to this new space for teambuilding and personal growth, will power the Fighting Irish long into the future.

All levels of support for Notre Dame Athletics, through gifts like these and generous contributions to the Rockne Athletics Fund, empower the University to provide the best student-athlete experience in the country, on and off the field.