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26
OCTOBER
2026
Beat the Heat: UIL’s New Heat Rules Are Here
As of August 1, 2026, UIL member schools in Texas are required to monitor Wet Bulb Globe Temperature before and during outdoor practice, and on the hottest days, outdoor sessions may need to be shortened or moved. For many athletic programs, that can mean less practice time during a critical part of the season. An indoor facility gives your program another option, so practice can continue indoors when outdoor conditions are restricted.
Indoor turf practice facility by Carter Sports Construction, giving teams a place to train when outdoor conditions are restricted.
UIL’s Heat Rules Are Now Mandatory
Texas summers have always been brutal on practice schedules. As of August 1, 2026, they come with hard rules attached.
After three years of recommending it, the UIL now requires every member school to use Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) to decide whether outdoor practice can happen, for how long, and in what gear. That covers football, every other outdoor sport, and marching band.
The goal is to reduce the risk of heat illness for student-athletes. But for coaches and athletic directors, it raises a practical question. When the gauge says stop, where does your team go?
What the New UIL Rules Require
WBGT goes beyond the temperature on your phone. It blends air temperature, humidity, wind, and direct sunlight into one reading of how much heat stress the body is under. UIL sorts those readings into five zones. Here's how they break down:
Required WBGT activity guidelines, 2026–27 school year
Values are WBGT readings, not air temperature or heat index. Most of Texas is Class 3. Summary of UIL’s 2026–27 Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Required Plan.
A few more details matter for planning:
- Readings must be taken within 15 minutes before practice and every 30 minutes during it.
- Practice runs under the highest reading of the session. If the number climbs, practice gets cut short. If it drops, you don't get the time back.
- Games aren't bound by the practice limits, but a cooling zone is required at contests once WBGT passes 82.
This is a general summary. Always check UIL's official heat policy and your district's guidelines for current requirements and how they apply to your facilities.
What It Costs Your Program
Under the new rules, days like these can mean a shortened session, a scramble to reschedule, or a canceled practice. Moving practice to early morning helps, but it doesn't always fit around school schedules, bus routes, and band rehearsals that need the same window. And the heaviest heat lands in August, exactly when teams are trying to get ready for the season.
The Fix: Take Practice Indoors
The WBGT limits are written for outdoor activity. An indoor practice facility gives your program another option when outdoor conditions are restricted, so practice has somewhere to go instead of being canceled. Indoor spaces can still get hot, so ventilation and cooling should be part of any facility plan.
Texas schools are already making the move. McGregor ISD recently partnered with us to build a new indoor batting cage facility for Bulldog baseball and softball. Now their athletes have a dedicated indoor space to train year-round, out of the heat and the weather. At the grand opening, instead of cutting the ribbon, they swung a bat right through it. See the McGregor project
An indoor facility pays off well beyond August, too:
- Fewer weather disruptions from heat, storms, and rain.
- Shared use for football, soccer, baseball and softball, band, and PE.
- More scheduling flexibility when outdoor conditions are restricted, with fewer last-minute changes to explain to parents.
- A long-term community asset that shows families your investment in your student-athletes.
How Carter Sports Construction Can Help
Carter Sports Construction has been building athletic facilities across Texas since 1997, from turf fields and tracks to field houses, batting cages, and indoor facilities. We know most districts can't write a blank check, so we work within your budget from the start.
Our indoor projects are turnkey. We handle the design, the build, and everything in between, so you have one team to call. Before anything is built, we’ll sit down with you to talk through what your program needs and share visuals of the plan, so you can picture the finished facility before construction starts. And we'll design it with the new UIL heat rules in mind, so your teams have a place to keep practicing when outdoor conditions are restricted.
The new WBGT rules are here to stay, and next August will be just as hot. Programs that plan ahead will have more options when afternoon readings climb.
Ready to talk about an indoor facility for your school? Contact us to start the conversation. We'll help you explore a facility plan that fits your program, your schedule, and your budget.
Helpful Resources
- UIL: Heat Stress and Athletic Participation: The official UIL heat policy, required plan, and FAQs.
- WBGT Forecast Tool: The forecasting site UIL recommends. Enter your location and choose Texas UIL Class 2 or Class 3 to see daily readings and zones.
- Carter Sports Construction: Field Houses, Batting Cages & Indoor Facilities: See the indoor and structural projects we've built for schools across Texas.
- Carter Sports Construction: Recent Projects: Browse our latest work, including the McGregor ISD indoor batting cages.