McAdams Acquires Sports Design Group to Grow Expertise in Texas

Full-service planning, design, and engineering firm McAdams has acquired Sports Design Group, a specialized athletic facility design practice based in McKinney, Texas. The acquisition will add a dedicated athletic-facility design firm to McAdams’ multidisciplinary services as well as its growing sports and entertainment capabilities.

Sports Design Group brings decades of specialized experience in the planning, design and construction of athletic facilities. Having experience with 250 synthetic turf fields and 150 natural grass fields spanning K-12, collegiate, municipal and professional sports environments, SDG Founder Richard McDonald will now join McAdams as senior advisor, sports.

SDG’s experience over the years includes work at NFL and MLB facilities, including the Dallas Cowboys Training Facility and Frisco ISD Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium, Lambeau Field (home of the Green Bay Packers) and Target Field (Minnesota Twins).

Meanwhile, the firm’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 McAdams CEO Mike Munn. “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.”

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, track-and-field events, safety maintenance and construction. SDG’s work extends to new facilities and renovations, as well as master planning, field studies, facility evaluations, testing, inspections and construction oversight.

Increasing Access to Specialized Facility Expertise

The acquisition of Sports Design Group allows McAdams to support more aspects of clients’ athletic facility, campus and community projects through a connected team. It is set to increase access to specialized facility expertise that complements McAdams’ current work in civil engineering, landscape architecture and more.

McAdams has previously developed sports and athletic facilities for collegiate and high school clients, including the University of North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium, N.C. State’s Doak Baseball Field and Stadium, and the Marcus High School Football Stadium in Flower Mound, Texas.

“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 Sports Design Group Founder Richard McDonald. “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 business combination will also create opportunities for knowledge sharing across McAdams, pairing SDG’s specialized technical expertise with teams serving education, municipal, parks and recreation and other clients.