McAdams Acquires Sports Design Group, Expanding Athletic Facility Design Expertise and Building on Firm’s Dynamic Texas Growth 

Specialized Texas practice brings decades of experience across K-12, collegiate, municipal and professional sports facilities 

McAdams announced today that it has acquired Sports Design Group (SDG), a specialized athletic facility design practice based in McKinney, Texas, adding a dedicated athletic-facility design specialist to McAdams’ multidisciplinary services and significantly enhancing McAdams’ already-robust sports and entertainment capabilities. 

Led by Richard McDonald, Sports Design Group brings decades of specialized experience in the planning, design and construction of athletic facilities. Having experience with approximately 500 synthetic turf fields and 300 natural grass fields spanning K-12, collegiate, municipal and professional sports environments across the nation, Richard joins McAdams as Senior Advisor, Sports. 

SDG’s experience spans every level of competition, from K-12 and collegiate athletics to some of the most recognizable venues in professional sports, including NFL and MLB facilities. Their experience includes work associated with the Dallas Cowboys Training Facility and Frisco ISD Stadium, Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, Lambeau Field, Minute Maid Park, Notre Dame Stadium and the Minnesota Twins’ new stadium. 

SDG’s Texas K-12 portfolio includes athletic facilities for school districts across the state, including Mansfield ISD, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Hays ISD, HEB ISD, Longview ISD, San Antonio ISD and San Marcos ISD. 

“When you look at the breadth of SDG’s experience, from school district facilities across Texas to some of the most recognizable venues in professional and college sports, it’s impressive,” said Mike Munn, Chief Executive Officer of McAdams. “But what really stood out to us was the technical knowledge behind that portfolio. Athletic facility design is incredibly specialized, and this depth of expertise significantly enhances our in-house capabilities. Bringing it to McAdams creates an even more powerful way for us to support our clients.” 

That expertise extends well beyond what athletes and spectators see on the playing surface. Athletic facilities require specialized knowledge of grading, drainage, soil conditions, natural and synthetic turf systems, tracks and field events, safety, maintenance and construction. SDG’s work spans new facilities and renovations, as well as master planning, field studies, facility evaluations, testing, inspections and construction oversight. 

By bringing that expertise together with McAdams’ capabilities in civil engineering, landscape architecture, land planning, surveying, water resources, transportation, construction administration and other complementary services, the combination creates opportunities to support more aspects of clients’ athletic facility, campus and community projects through a connected team. 

For McAdams clients, particularly those in K-12, higher education, municipal, parks and recreation and other community-focused markets, the addition creates access to specialized athletic facility expertise that complements work McAdams already provides. McAdams has previously developed sports and athletic facilities for collegiate, K-12 and municipal clients, including UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium, NC State’s Doak Baseball Field and Stadium, and in Texas, the Lewisville ISD Marcus High School Football Stadium. For SDG clients, it means continued access to the specialized knowledge and relationships they rely on today, with the ability to tap into additional McAdams capabilities as project needs evolve. 

“Sports Design Group has always been focused on understanding what our clients need and helping them create athletic facilities that perform for the people who use them,” said Richard McDonald, Founder of Sports Design Group. “Joining McAdams gives the firm an opportunity to continue doing that while bringing additional expertise and capabilities to our clients. It’s exciting to see what our firms will be able to accomplish together.” 

The addition will initially strengthen McAdams’ athletic facility capabilities in Texas, where SDG has developed deep experience and client relationships. As the firms integrate, share knowledge and build capacity, McAdams will thoughtfully evaluate opportunities to bring this expertise into additional markets over time. 

The combination also creates opportunities for knowledge sharing across McAdams, pairing SDG’s highly specialized technical expertise with teams serving education, municipal, parks and recreation and other clients.