Young family and city council members

Young family and city council members during the ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 19.

 Sutton Spinner/OU Daily

The city of Norman held the grand opening for the Trae Young Family Athletic Center on Monday. 

Rayford Young, president of the Trae Young Family Foundation and the Norman native and NBA All-Star's father; Jason Olsen, director of parks and recreation; Mayor Larry Heikkila; Richie Splitt, president and CEO of Norman Regional Health System; city manager Darrel Pyle; James Bond, orthopedic surgeon at Norman Regional Health System; and Ward 8 Councilmember Matt Peacock spoke at the ceremony.

Pyle said planning began in 2019, and construction started in 2021. Pyle said the Young family contacted the city about constructing YFAC. Pyle thanked the Norman City Council, the Norman Forward committee, the city of Norman and the Young Family Foundation, among others. 

Pyle said he is thankful for the support for the YFAC, citing his role as a junior basketball organizer in 2002. 

“We played on tile floors in a gym that did not have air conditioning, and all of a sudden we have this,” Pyle said. “The things that are going to happen here are going to be fantastic.”

Splitt said each Norman Forward project, including the YFAC, has been a successful promise to the Norman community. He added it is now Norman Regional Health System’s duty to deliver care to athletes. 

“Our amazing team of experts will provide personalized care to prevent and treat injuries, all while using their capable hands and caring hearts, (and) leading technologies and techniques to get you back in the game,” Splitt said. “It's up to us to continue with our commitment to help every athlete every (and) every person who seeks care or help from us to achieve their personal best.”

Bond said he has tried to develop a health-centric athletic center for the past 15 years. He added no other facility allows athletes and (qualified) healthcare professionals to interact.

“You are only as good as those around you, and when you have great (people) around you, it makes you better,” Bond said. “Iron sharpens iron … that’s why this Trae Young Family Athletic Center will be the greatest thing in Oklahoma and in this region.”

Rayford said Trae offered to pay the entire $36 million, but Rayford talked him out of it. He added the facility has been special for his family, but its creation would not be possible without Norman’s help. 

“It’s really cool to have our family’s name on the building, but it’s so much bigger than that,” Young said. 

Rayford said there is nothing similar to the YFAC in the country, and he hopes others attempt to copy it.

“We want to be the person to create change, but there's nothing like this in the country, I promise you,” Rayford said. 

Rayford also presented a video from Trae where he said the facility is important in building up young athletes, citing his aspirations as a child.  

“Being able to have this facility where any kid can be who they want to be is going to be extremely important,” Trae said.  

Rayford added the Trae Young Foundation will continue to support the Norman community. 

Peacock said the facility is an investment in Norman’s youth, who are the city’s most valuable resource. 

“Trae isn’t the first professional athlete to come out of Norman, but with his love and dedication to the city, we know he won’t be the last,” Peacock said.  

Heikkila said the YFAC will help grow Norman’s economy and increase tourism. He added the facility will allow for Norman to host more tournaments and events, alongside supporting local businesses. 

Pyle said the YFAC represents what Norman can accomplish as a community. He said Norman’s best days are still ahead, and the possibilities for Norman’s future are now increased.

“It’s another great day in the city of Norman, Oklahoma,” Pyle said. “Today marks the day we cleared the bar, which means tomorrow marks the day we raise the bar and go at it again.”

The 122,000-square-foot, $36 million facility is located at 2201 Trae Young Drive. The facility includes a multisport gymnasium, two pools and a two-story, 25,000-square-foot physical performance center developed in coordination with Norman Regional Health System. 

The gymnasium includes eight basketball courts, 12 volleyball courts, 18 pickleball courts and a 74-foot video screen intended for live games. The aquatic segment includes two pools: an 8-lane 25-yard competition pool and a 4-lane 25-yard warm-up pool. 

NMotion Sports and Human Performance Center, developed with Norman Regional Health System, includes physician clinics. According to a press release, it is the first center designed for both physical and mental health performance in Oklahoma.

The YFAC also includes the expansion of Ortho Central with the relocation of Ortho Central Physical Therapy, which is now located in Suite 105 in the YFAC. According to the press release, Ortho Central Physical Therapy addresses muscle imbalances and movement dysfunctions through a hands-on, biomechanical approach. 

The facility also has men’s and women’s locker rooms, administrative offices and a conference room. 

The YFAC is a part of the Norman Forward initiative which was approved by 72 percent of Norman voters in 2015. Norman Forward is designed to create quality-of-life projects using a half percent sales tax collected over 15 years. 

The YFAC was funded through a $4 million donation from the Trae Young Foundation, $22.5 million through Norman Forward sales tax, a $2.7 million construction supplement from the University North Park Tax Increment District and $6.7 million from Norman Regional Health System, according to the press release. 

The city of Norman held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Young Family Athletic Center, or YFAC, Monday afternoon.

Here’s the full ceremony from inside the Young Family Athletic Center:

Filmed by Kaly Phan

Edited by Kaly Phan

Chapters:

0:00 Introduction video

5:23 Jason Olsen, Director of Norman Parks & Recreation

17:17 Richie Splitt, President & CEO of Norman Regional Health System

18:47 James Bond, Orthopedic Surgeon, Sports Medicine

21:10 Richie Splitt, President & CEO of Norman Regional Health System (part 2)

25:07 Rayford Young, President of the Trae Young Family Foundation & Trae Young’s father

26:05 Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks point guard and former Oklahoma Sooner

26:56 Rayford Young, President of the Trae Young Family Foundation & Trae Young’s father (part 2)

36:17 Matt Peacock, current sitting Ward 8 Councilmember

39:13 Larry Heikkila, Mayor, City of Norman

42:52 Darrel Pyle, City Manager

44:27 Ribbon Cutting

The city of Norman held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Young Family Athletic Center, or YFAC, Monday afternoon.

Here’s a small snippet from the ceremony and some of our best footage from inside the Young Family Athletic Center:

Filmed by Kaly Phan

Edited by Kaly Phan

This story was edited by Peggy Dodd and Ismael Lele 

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