Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University

Did You Know?

• The 2006 AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts used the facility while preparing for Super Bowl XLI.
• The Kansas City Chiefs used the facility while preparing for Super Bowl LIV.
• The facility was used as a prototype for professional football teams.

Architecture and features

The training facility’s design features bowing trusses and a silhouette that echoes classic athletic buildings. Inside, there is a large weight room, training rooms, locker rooms, a therapy swimming pool, a cold plunge pool, whirlpools, administrative offices, and a practice field. A separate bleacher building holds 2,000 spectators. On the west side, an indoor training field called "The Bubble" spans 2.2 acres. This air-supported structure was built by Stiles Construction and manufactured by Air Structures American Technologies Incorporated. The regulation-size football field, installed by The Motz Group, uses synthetic turf composed of 75% rubber and 25% sand. The bubble can also simulate loud crowd noise.

History

Before moving to Nova Southeastern University, the Dolphins held training at Saint Andrew's School in the late 1960s and then at St. Thomas University from July 12, 1970, until June 4, 1993. A ribbon cutting for the new facility took place on July 11, 1993, but the team departed in June 2021. Today, NSU Sharks athletics owns and runs the facility, and Fort Lauderdale United FC uses the main stadium for its matches.

The Bubble

On September 26, 2006, the Dolphins opened an air-supported, air-conditioned indoor training field as their first significant expansion. The current owner is Jamaican-born Jerome Harriott, who leases it to the Dolphins. In 2018, Hellas Construction installed Matrix Turf with Helix Technology and organic infill made of coconut and cork fibers; the Dolphins were the first team to use organic infill. The fabric is lightweight yet strong, and inflation is maintained by fans in the HVAC units. The structure was designed to withstand hurricane-force winds up to category three, with internal air pressure increased to stiffen it against wind loading. The Bubble is used by the NSU University School Sharks for practice and scrimmages. Jerome Harriott designed the structure.

New training facility in Miami Gardens

The Dolphins announced plans to move their training facility from Davie to a new complex called Baptist Health Training Complex, located on the northwest side of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. The move brought owner Stephen Ross's total investment in his stadium property to over $600 million since 2015. Ground was broken on August 20, 2019 for a $135 million, 125,000-square-foot complex, which was completed in 2021.