Hallmark’s Fall Into Love lineup brings a brand-new sports romance to the screen this season with Home Turf — a heartwarming mix of football, campus life, and second chances. Directed by fan-favorite Maclain Nelson (Haul Out the Holly, Once I Was a Beehive) and written by Gregg Rossen and Brian Sawyer, the film stars Nikki DeLoach and Warren Christie in a story filled with humor, heart, and a touch of gridiron drama.
The Hallmark original follows Cassidy, a small college president whose orderly life is turned upside down when freshmen football players unexpectedly move into her home. As tensions rise, a charming new coach named Logan might just be the key to bringing order — and romance — back into her world.
Where Was Home Turf Filmed?
Hallmark’s Home Turf was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah — not on some faraway campus, but right on the grounds of Westminster University. The movie filmed on campus in spring 2025 and used Westminster’s brick quads, athletic spaces and the football field to create the small-college look. Westminster’s Sugar House campus gave the movie the classic college vibe that the story needs.
The main location of the shoot was Westminster University, a private liberal arts college in the heart of Salt Lake City. Much of the film was shot on campus, using real locations to stand in for the fictional college where Cassidy works and lives. The school’s scenic grounds, historic buildings, and modern facilities provided the perfect backdrop for the film’s blend of academic charm and sports excitement.
Westminster University, Salt Lake City
Westminster traces its roots to 1875, when it began as the Salt Lake Collegiate Institute. In recent years the school transitioned from Westminster College to Westminster University (the name change took effect in 2023), and 2025 lines up with the institution’s sesquicentennial era — roughly 150 years since its founding — so the campus was already getting attention while the film rolled. The school’s compact, historic buildings and tree-lined quads made it a natural stand-in for the movie’s campus scenes.
Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center
A standout location in the film is Westminster’s Dolores Doré Eccles Health, Wellness, and Athletic Center — the modern facility that houses fitness, recreation and intercollegiate athletics. Production team used the HWAC for the movie’s training sequences, locker-room moments and indoor sports scenes. The center includes an aquatic facility, climbing wall, field house/multi-purpose court and dedicated team spaces that translated perfectly to on-screen athletic life.
From team meetings and football practices to emotional character moments, the center’s real facilities added authenticity to the sports storyline. It’s here that Cassidy and Logan’s worlds most often collide — and where the freshmen players learn about teamwork, discipline, and finding a home away from home.
Westminster mix of old-world architecture and contemporary student life made it a natural choice for Hallmark’s creative team. Some of the popular Hallmark productions that were shot in Salt Lake City includes:
- A Cozy Christmas Inn
- The Holiday Stocking,
- Christmas Under Wraps
- Branching Out
- Sweet Pecan Summer
- The Christmas Bow
- Sister Swap
- Love in the Limelight,
- Christmas Land, and
- Everything Christmas.
Behind the Scenes
Nikki DeLoach shared plenty of behind-the-scenes glimpses with fans on Instagram, showing just how much fun the cast had filming in Salt Lake City. In one post, she wrote: “I am all hands in for a good sports movie with a lot of heart, humor and romance. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t… wait to share our all new movie, Home Turf.”
In another playful post featuring her male co-stars, she captioned:
“Meet ‘The Hunks of Home Turf.’ I am the luckiest lady that I went to work every day with these gentlemen who came to play. Talented, funny, generous, kind, team players, all heart. I love them all so much and I know you will, too.”
And just days before the premiere, she posted a selfie with the caption:
“Coach DeLoach, here. Are you ready for some football? 🏈”
Why Utah — and the incentives behind the shoot
State materials list Home Turf as a Hallmark Channel production produced by David Wulf and directed by Maclain Nelson. The film was approved for incentives as part of Utah’s Motion Picture Incentive program and was shot in Salt Lake County. The approvals were listed alongside other recent incentive recipients in official Utah Film Commission announcements.
Official board documents show the project’s production window and estimated local impact, generating approximately $2 million in local spending, and a maximum incentive of $500,000 (a 25% tax credit on qualified in-state spend).
The project was flagged as a Salt Lake County shoot that employed 87 cast and crew members during its six-month production schedule (March–September 2025). Those numbers explain why the production chose to film entirely in Utah — local crews, accessible locations, and most importantly, tax incentives.
Home Turf Cast
The film brings together a familiar Hallmark face and a solid supporting cast:
- Nikki DeLoach as Cassidy (college president)
- Warren Christie as Logan (the coach)
- Louis Boakye as Nick
- Tanner McKay as Malcolm
- Onias Snuka Ken
- Jess DelVizo as Zoe
- Timothy A. Threlfall as Leo Farnsworth
- Aja Rytting as Jeanine
Several supporting players and campus-type roles round out the cast (assistant coaches, students, professors, family members) to give the little college community a lived-in feeling. Full cast listings are available on Hallmark’s movie page and IMDb.
What’s the movie about?
Home Turf is a rom-com with a sports heart. Cassidy runs a small college and tries to keep campus life running smoothly — until a group of football freshmen move into her home and turn her world upside down. Logan, the coach, becomes the calming (and handsome) presence who helps negotiate dorm drama, school politics, and a few unexpected romances. Hallmark teases a story with “heart, humor and romance” and a healthy dose of sports puns.
How to watch Home Turf?
Home Turf premieres on Friday, October 4, 2025, at 8/7c on the Hallmark Channel as part of the network’s Fall Into Love programming event. The film will re-air on:
- October 5 at 6/5c
- October 8 at 8/7c
- October 14 at 6/5c
With a story full of heart, humor, and touchdowns — and a campus backdrop steeped in 150 years of tradition — Home Turf is a perfect kickoff to Hallmark’s fall movie season. Whether you’re a football fan, a romance lover, or both, this new movie is a must-watch.
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