UVa. unveils renderings for indoor practice facility

The Virginia athletics department has released the renderings for its indoor football practice facility. The University received the renderings from the Washington, D.C.,-based Bowie Gridley Architects.

The facility, also available for use by other Virginia athletics programs, will be located on one of two existing football practice fields behind the McCue Center and University Hall.

With a projected cost of $13 million for the 78,000-square foot facility, Virginia Executive Associate Athletics Director Jon Oliver said approximately $8.4 million has already been committed for the project. Oliver said the Virginia Athletics Foundation hopes to havepledges for the remaining $4.6 million by February 2012. If all funds are committed, groundbreaking for the project could take place late next spring.

“It’s important for us to keep thismoving along, because we want it to be done for 2013,” Oliver said. “If you think about the great job that Mike London has done with his recruiting, this is another step in that process to help us build a program, and we want to make this a priority, because we want the facility on-line by the start of football practice in August of 2013.

“Craig Littlepage (Virginia athletics director) has indicated that the facility is the number-one priority in the athletics department.”

Last month the University’s Board of Visitors approved the addition of the facility to the University’s Capital Projects Program. The athletics department will go back to the Board ofVisitors for approval of the design at a subsequent meeting.

“It is one thing to talk about a facility like this which will mean so much to our program,”said Virginia coach Mike London. “To see it, you get the ‘Wow’ factor. This is a significant commitment by the athletics department and the University for the football program. For us to be competitive, we need a facility of this nature to allow our student-athletes to train and practice, regardless of the conditions outdoors. I truly appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in getting us to this point and all of the donors and benefactors who will take it from renderings to reality.”