[Racer26]

I've seen many reveal videos of robots practicing on a full-size practice field, which, while maybe not competition quality (plywood alliance stations for example) is certainly a world above flimsy mockups of field elements.

What isn't clear from these videos is if said facility is a permanent fixture in the team's arsenal, or something they have to set up and tear down frequently.

I know 1114/2056 and the other teams in the Niagara region share a year-round practice facility in a closed school's gymnasium.

I used to think that such things were a rare occurrence that only the top teams like 1114/2056 had the resources for, but its starting to look like (or perhaps more teams are sharing them and it is deceiving) more and more teams have such a facility at their disposal.

An FRC field with some extra space around it for alliance stations and supporting hardware (a computer running FMSLight for example) occupies an area about 40'x70', or 2800 sqft.

Where are teams finding 2800 sqft that they can use for cheap/free? I don't know of any closed schools in our area that we could ask to use, and the only other idea I can come up with is some vacant industrial spaces in our town, whose owners we might be able to convince to let us use the space until a tenant comes along. (They've been vacant for years)

I presume some teams with big name sponsors like NASA have large facilities owned by their sponsor that are going mostly unused day-to-day, and are allowed to use that space.

Ideas? Experiences? Suggestions?