Long Overdue: ECU Finally Joins the Indoor Facility Club

For years, East Carolina has been stuck out in the elements, practicing in rain, heat, and whatever else Mother Nature threw their way. Now, after being behind the 8-ball for far too long, the Pirates are finally getting their indoor facility.

On Thursday, ECU officially broke ground on the Isley Indoor Performance Center, a state-of-the-art building scheduled for completion in 2026.

"This really is going to redefine the footprint of our athletics department," athletic director Jon Gilbert said. "This day would not be possible without the part of so many people here."

The new 85,000-square-foot facility will feature a 120-yard synthetic field with floating goalposts, a scoreboard, and a videoboard, opening up the possibility for events beyond just athletics. Football will have first priority, but all Pirate sports programs will have access to the building.

The Isley Family, Bill Clark Homes, and the Wornom Family were recognized during Thursday’s ceremony for making the project a reality. The facility will carry the Isley name, with the field named in honor of the Wornoms.

The project, expected to cost north of $20 million, was fully funded up front — a must, given ECU’s ongoing financial commitments from previous facility upgrades.

Until now, ECU and Charlotte were the only FBS programs in North Carolina without an indoor practice facility, trailing behind Appalachian State, Duke, UNC, NC State, and Wake Forest.

"It's going to be a huge deal for our football program and our athletes," head coach Blake Harrell said. "Being able to get out of the heat, avoid lightning delays, and save our legs for game day — it's a game-changer. Pirate Nation should be fired up about the direction we're heading."

Gilbert said that when it came to the building's design, there were two things he wouldn't compromise on: heating and cooling for year-round use, and a top-tier videoboard to support events outside of practice.

"I wanted to make sure it was going to be heated and cooled, where you can use it for events outside of a practice or a sports team," Gilbert said. "Then the second piece was the video board. I wanted a really good video board set up so we can have functions in there and have video capability."

"There are many that have come before us that talked about what this facility would bring," Gilbert added. "I'm really excited on this historic day."