Ask a college football coach which room every recruit has to see, and you’ll hear the same answer again and again: the locker room. When we talked with head coaches and assistants about their facilities, one Big 12 coach put it simply:

“You’re sending a message. That’s where they live. You’re telling them they’re important.”

That’s the job of a great locker room. It’s where players prepare, recover, and escape the noise of fans, classmates, and media. It’s also the clearest signal a program sends to recruits and their families about how much it values them.

This guide covers why the locker room matters more than ever, the philosophy behind how we design them, the real stories that inspired some of our favorite spaces, a design checklist, and how to choose the right locker room design firm. Let’s dive in.

Why the Locker Room Is Now One of the Biggest Recruiting Tools

Since the House v. NCAA settlement took effect in July 2025, Division I schools can share revenue directly with athletes. Paired with NIL and the transfer portal, that means top recruits have more options and more leverage than ever, and programs have to make a compelling case every single day.

Facilities were a recruiting edge long before this new era. Back in 2017, when 247Sports surveyed Dallas-area blue-chip recruits about official visits, a quarter of them said TCU put on the best visit, ahead of Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma. One recruit’s tiebreaker between TCU and Texas came down to the players’ lounge: “TCU has the game room, though.” With today’s stakes, that edge matters even more. Since 2016, Advent has also partnered with Samford University on the annual Student-Athlete College Choice Study, researching how physical spaces shape where athletes decide to play.

Junior Hockey: A New Kind of Competition

In November 2024, the NCAA voted to let Canadian Hockey League players keep their college eligibility, effective for the 2025-26 season. For decades, a 16-year-old had to choose between major junior hockey and a future NCAA scholarship. Now they can do both, and families have taken notice. According to a Boston Globe analysis, the number of Americans in the CHL roughly doubled in the first season under the new rule, from about 100 in 2024-25 to more than 200 in 2025-26.

That makes CHL teams’ recruiting fight tougher, not easier. They’re now competing with each other, and with U.S. junior programs, for the same teenagers. The Halifax Mooseheads answered with a multi-million-dollar dressing room designed by Advent, complete with 25 individually vented custom stalls, cold tubs, and a steam room. In the team’s December 2025 opening announcement, ownership said the Mooseheads would “truly have NHL caliber facilities that rival any sports team in the world.”

Pro Sports: Winning Over Free Agents

The same logic holds at the top. Pro players have choices about where they sign, and during the season they spend more time at the practice facility than almost anywhere else. For the San Jose Sharks, the locker room at SAP Center and the Sharks Ice practice facility play a key role in attracting free agents and inspiring current players.

The Minnesota Wild’s 22,800-square-foot TRIA Rink practice facility gives players a world-class rink, hydrotherapy, a locker room, a film room, and a private lounge to bond as teammates. Its Wall of Wins lets players insert a game-winning puck after every victory, turning the season into a story they write together.

For the Tennessee Titans, Advent transformed Saint Thomas Sports Park from bland white walls into a headquarters and locker room that tells players this organization is focused on the future, with a weight room built around a simple mantra: commit to the battle and earn everything. And at the Dallas Stars training facility, clean modern design ties players to their community and the state of Texas.

Over a long season, a space that feels world-class every day can prove a competitive advantage in countless ways.

Our Philosophy Behind Locker Room & Player Facilities Design

A locker room can have the nicest stalls in the country and still feel like nobody’s home. The difference between a nice room and a great one is belonging. Here’s what guides every locker room we design.

The player is the hero.

It’s tempting to build a locker room that celebrates the institution. But the people who use the room every day are the players, and the people deciding whether to join are recruits. The best spaces put them at the center of the story, with their names on the stalls and their predecessors on the walls, so they can see where they fit.

Start with the story, not the stalls.

Every project begins with StoryMining, our process of interviewing coaches, players, alumni, and staff to uncover what makes a program different. The ideas that make a locker room unforgettable are usually already there, waiting in the stories people carry.

Make it a sanctuary.

The locker room is one of the few places athletes aren’t on display. It should feel like home: a place to prepare, recover, and be with teammates without the noise.

Never build a monument to the day it opened.

Programs change. Rosters turn over, records fall, and new championships get won. We design locker rooms with updatable displays so the space can grow with the program instead of aging out of it.

Design spaces worth sharing.

Recruits will post their visit. The team will post on game day. If people don’t photograph it, you missed an opportunity. A signature moment in the room travels far beyond it.

What’s Inspired Our Locker Room Designs

No two of our locker rooms look alike, because no two programs share the same story. Here’s what shaped some of our favorite projects.

TCU Football Locker Room: Greats Lighting the Way

In the TCU football locker room, lit end caps each showcase a recent Horned Frog great alongside a program mantra, creating a dramatic first impression that reinforces culture every time players walk in. The room’s design language carries through TCU’s football meeting rooms, basketball offices, and even the campus bookstore, so recruits feel one consistent identity everywhere they go.

Boston College Football Locker Room: Core Values Front and Center

Inside Alumni Stadium, the Boston College football locker room was reimagined to put team core values and the Eagle Football brand at the center of players’ daily routine. A six-foot-wide dimensional logo hangs in the ceiling over the lounge, a backlit stone wall marks the entry, and core values punctuate the locker end caps. Lockers carry player names and numbers, while the space above them honors the greats who came before.

Penn Football Locker Room: Honoring the Past, Energizing the Future

“It’s about creating a space that celebrates the past while energizing the future,” Penn head coach Ray Priore told us. At historic Franklin Field, the Penn football locker room balances modern amenities with a walk path of Penn Football legends and a tribute to Dan Staffieri, known as “Coach Lake,” whose spirit of togetherness still shapes the program.

UNC Basketball Player Spaces: Legacy Meets Future

With five national championships, 19 Final Fours, and a long line of legendary coaches and players, North Carolina basketball was already an elite brand. The goal for its men’s basketball player spaces was to connect current and future Tar Heels to that history every day. The result includes murals of Carolina greats by decade and the Jordan Shoe Wall, 31 Air Jordans in Tar Heel blue, now one of the most photographed spots on campus.

Texas Basketball Locker Rooms: A Blueprint for Every Role

For the Longhorns’ men’s and women’s programs at the Moody Center, the Texas basketball locker rooms are built around a blueprint: a way of thinking that leads to success at the end of a player’s basketball journey. The space speaks to everyone on the roster, from the one-and-done star to the role player, because every one of them is part of the story.

NDSU Football Locker Room: An FBS Experience at the FCS Level

North Dakota State football is a perennial national title contender that consistently sends players to the NFL. The NDSU football locker room keeps that story in front of recruits with a captains hallway, championship displays, and lists of NFL players and Academic All-Americans. Every display was designed with annual updates in mind, and some can be refreshed by the athletic staff themselves.

Austin Peay Basketball Locker Rooms: Built for the Portal Era

As Austin Peay moved into the ASUN and its new $115 million F&M Bank Arena, the Governors needed player spaces that could compete for high school and transfer recruits alike. After StoryMining sessions with coaches, athletic directors, and brand leaders, Advent designed the Austin Peay basketball locker rooms with lit displays in the team lobby and signature moments for both the men’s and women’s programs, creating a facility that surpasses typical mid-major standards.

Boston University Men’s Basketball: More Than Basketball

BU men’s basketball wanted to stand apart from its neighbors. The program’s story is about selflessness, toughness, and accountability, and about relationships that last well beyond the court. The BU men’s basketball player spaces showcase conference championships and NCAA appearances alongside a dimensional BU sign, while making sure players feel valued as people, not just athletes.

Boston University Women’s Hockey Locker Room: The Center of the Recruiting Visit

For BU women’s hockey, the goal was to make the locker room a central stop on every recruiting visit. Advent enhanced the walk path from the coaching offices to the locker room, celebrating championship runs, Olympian alumni, and the program’s international players at every step, so recruits feel the depth of BU’s hockey culture before they ever step on the ice.

Boston College Hockey Locker Rooms: Respect the Tradition

For the Boston College men’s and women’s hockey locker rooms inside Conte Forum, Advent partnered with S3 Design and Shawmut Design and Construction on a redesign built around the program’s tradition and recruiting. The expanded spaces include lounges, saunas, and individually vented stalls with backlit nameplates. When the teams moved in for the 2017-18 season, women’s head coach Katie Crowley called it “the best locker room in women’s college hockey.“

Coastal Carolina Baseball: A Recruit Path to the Omaha Room

After winning the 2016 College World Series, Coastal Carolina brought its championship story to life across its baseball facility. Player spaces and coaches’ offices focus on the program’s mission and values, while the recruit path leads prospects past a gear display and into the space’s focal point: the Omaha Room.

Pitt Swimming and Diving Locker Room: Inspire Pride, Build Champions

As part of an athletics-wide rebrand, Pittsburgh set out to give its swimming and diving programs one of the top facilities in the ACC. The Pitt swimming and diving locker room features Olympic rings and the team mottos “Inspire Pride” and “Build Champions,” plus nameplates with each athlete’s signature and hometown.

San Jose Sharks Locker Rooms: World-Class Every Day

For their 25th anniversary, the Sharks gave their SAP Center locker room and Sharks Ice practice facility dramatic updates. The game-day space creates a business-like atmosphere for a team chasing championships, while the practice spaces bring energy to what can feel like a long grind of a season. Both celebrate playoff moments, division titles, and the team’s ties to the San Jose community.

Halifax Mooseheads Locker Room: A Storytelling Challenge

For the Mooseheads, upgrading the dressing room wasn’t just a recruiting or retention challenge. It was a storytelling challenge, too. The Mooseheads player spaces speak to three audiences at once: current players honoring tradition, prospects imagining their first step on the path to the NHL, and parents trusting the team with their kids’ development. Alumni displays celebrate every NHL player who once wore the jersey, a powerful message to a 16-year-old deciding where to play next.

Moncton Wildcats Player Spaces: The Wildcat Way

Halifax isn’t the only QMJHL team raising the bar. The Moncton Wildcats pride themselves on a professional, world-class approach to developing players on and off the ice, and they asked Advent to create a “shrine” to the past, present, and future of the organization. The Moncton Wildcats’ player spaces, including the players’ tunnel, celebrate the pride of the community, the professionalism of the players, and the unified goal of winning, all rooted in what the team calls The Wildcat Way. For a teenager weighing where to play junior hockey, it’s a clear signal of how seriously the organization takes their development.

Locker Room Design Checklist

Use this checklist when planning a new locker room or renovation.

A clear story

Know what makes your program different before you design anything. Every element should support that story.

A strong first impression

The entry sets the tone. A backlit wall, a dimensional logo, or a bold brand statement tells players and recruits where they are.

Player-centric stalls

Names and numbers on every locker, smart storage, and ventilation built for daily use. This is where players spend the most time, so it has to work.

Lighting with intent

Lit end caps, accent lighting, and dramatic touches turn a functional room into an experience.

Core values in sight

Program mantras and values should be visible where players prepare, not tucked away in a hallway.

Legends and history

Show players the people who came before them, so they can picture themselves as the next chapter.

Updatable displays

Plan for new records, captains, and championships from day one. The best rooms let staff refresh content without a full renovation.

Gear and apparel displays

A gear wall showcasing your apparel partner is one of the most effective recruiting tools in any facility.

A signature photo moment

Give recruits and players one spot they can’t help but share.

Recovery and wellness

Cold tubs, steam rooms, and recovery areas show you care about players beyond game day.

Connected spaces

The locker room works best alongside a players’ lounge and a carefully planned recruit walk path, so every stop on a visit tells the same story.

Consistent design language

Carry the same identity from the locker room to the meeting rooms, offices, and beyond, so the whole facility feels like one program.

Durable materials

A locker room takes a beating every day. Choose finishes that look great in year five, not just on opening day.

How to Choose a Locker Room Design Firm

The right partner will understand your program’s story and your recruiting goals, not just your square footage. Ask these questions before you pull the trigger:

1. Do they start with research?

Great locker rooms come from discovery, not templates. Ask how the firm learns what makes your program different, and who they talk to along the way.

2. Have they designed locker rooms at your level?

Look for experience across college, junior, and professional programs, and in your sport. Ask to see completed projects, not just renderings.

3. Do they design and build?

A firm that handles design, fabrication, and installation keeps the vision intact from concept to opening day, with one team accountable for the result.

4. Can the space grow with your program?

Ask how displays will be updated as records fall and rosters change, and whether your staff can make some updates themselves.

5. Will they design for recruits and players?

The best firms think about how the room feels on a Tuesday in February, not just on an official visit.

6. Can they connect the locker room to the rest of your facility?

A locker room shouldn’t feel like a different program than the lobby, the lounge, or the meeting rooms. Look for a partner who can carry one story throughout.

Locker Room Design FAQ

What makes a great locker room?

A great locker room combines function and story. Players need well-ventilated stalls, smart storage, and durable finishes for daily use. Recruits need to see the program’s identity, history, and values the moment they walk in. The best rooms do both.

How do locker rooms help with recruiting?

Coaches consistently say the locker room is the one space every recruit has to see. It signals how much a program values its players. With revenue sharing, NIL, and the transfer portal giving NCAA athletes more options than ever, facilities have become one of the clearest ways to stand out.

In Canadian Junior hockey, where interest has surged from players who previously wanted to keep their path to the NCAA open, facilities matter more than ever, too, in attracting top talent and telling your team’s story.

What do recruits notice most in a locker room?

Recruits respond to spaces that help them picture themselves in the program: their name on a stall, the uniforms and gear they’d wear, and the legends who came before them. A signature photo moment matters too, because recruits share their visits. The room also has to feel like a real home for the current team, since recruits will ask players what it’s like to live there.

What makes a football locker room different?

Scale. A college football locker room has to serve a roster many times larger than most other sports, so organization, durability, and flow matter even more. The best football locker rooms still find ways to make a huge room feel personal, with names and numbers on every stall, core values on the end caps, and program legends above the lockers.

What makes a basketball locker room different?

Basketball rosters are small, so the locker room can feel more intimate and communal. Many are designed around circular or open layouts that bring the team together, and they often double as a recruiting showpiece with gear walls, legends displays, and a signature moment like North Carolina’s Jordan Shoe Wall.

What makes a hockey locker room different?

Hockey players carry more equipment than almost any other athletes, and it has to dry between practices and games. That’s why hockey dressing rooms rely on individually vented stalls, often with fans built in, alongside the storytelling and branding found in any great locker room. The Halifax Mooseheads’ dressing room, for example, features 25 individually vented custom stalls.

How do you honor program history without making a locker room feel dated?

Celebrate history in ways that connect to the current team, like placing legends above the lockers of today’s players or lining the walk path to the locker room with championship moments. Pair those with updatable displays so the room keeps adding new chapters instead of freezing the old ones.

What does a locker room design firm do?

A locker room design firm turns a program’s identity into a physical space. That can include research and storytelling, graphics and branding, lighting, custom displays, and digital features. Some firms, like Advent, also handle fabrication and installation.

How often should a locker room be updated?

It depends on the program, but displays should be planned for annual updates as rosters, records, and championships change. Designing updatable elements from the start keeps a room current without needing a full renovation each season.

Can a locker room renovation be done in phases?

Yes. Boston University’s women’s hockey facilities were upgraded in phases, with the design planned up front so every stage stayed consistent. A phased approach can make a project easier to fund and schedule around the season.

Can men’s and women’s teams share one locker room design?

Both men’s and women’s teams can share a design language while each team keeps its own identity, and this is something we’ve seen pretty commonly. At Austin Peay, the basketball locker rooms create one cohesive look for both programs while still highlighting each team’s personality. Texas did the same for its men’s and women’s basketball programs at the Moody Center, Boston College for its men’s and women’s hockey teams inside Conte Forum, and Colorado State for its men’s and women’s basketball facilities at Moby Arena.

Is a locker room renovation worth the investment?

For most programs, the locker room does more work than any other space in the building. It’s where players spend their days, where recruits form their first impression, and where a program proves it’s serious about its people. With revenue sharing, the transfer portal, and a wide-open junior hockey recruiting market, the real question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in player spaces. It’s whether you can afford to fall behind the programs that already have. The best locker rooms pay off twice: in the players you land, and in the ones who stay.

Build a Locker Room Your Players Call Home

From TCU and North Carolina to the San Jose Sharks and the Halifax Mooseheads, Advent has designed and built locker rooms for programs at every level across nearly 30 years and more than 2,500 projects. If you’re planning a new locker room build or facilities renovation, we’d love to talk more about what you have in mind.

Written by John Roberson, CEO