The Board of Visitors unanimously approved a plan to build a $13 million indoor practice facility last week. It will be used primarily by the football team, but other varsity sports teams will also be able to use the facility.
The complex will be constructed in the location of one of the two current practice fields, and it will afford the teams the opportunity to practice even in unfavorable weather conditions.
"Clearly, right now they don't have a place to practice during inclement weather," Executive Associate Athletic Director Jon Oliver said, citing an incident this summer when a lightning storm forced the football team to practice on the concrete floor inside John Paul Jones Arena.
The indoor athletic facility will also help the football team stay competitive in its conference - during the off-season, football players will be able to use the new facility for their individual workouts, Oliver said.
"Other schools we compete with have indoor facilities, and if we don't take care of that it will become a factor in recruiting."
Currently, Georgia Tech, Duke and Virginia Tech have indoor facilities, and Virginia Tech is planning to build a second structure. Clemson and Florida State also have plans to build indoor practice spaces.
Additionally, two newcomers to the conference, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, enjoy the luxury of state-of-the-art indoor facilities. The Panthers share the UPMC Sports Performance Complex with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Orange play their home games in the Carrier Dome, the largest indoor stadium on any college campus.
About $5 million was given to the athletic department by an anonymous donor in June, and the University hopes to have fundraising finished by December or January so the building can be completed before the start of fall camp in 2013.
"[Football coach Mike] London has done a great job, and this is one of the things he's put on his priority list, so we're working hard to get this facility finished for him," Oliver said.
-compiled by Sarah Hunter Simanson
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