The University Athletic Association at the University of Florida released a finalized report Monday for the upcoming standalone football complex.
The 56-page summary details the 130,000-square-foot complex that will be located on the north end of James G. Pressly Stadium.
The project’s estimated budget is $60 million and its expected to be completed June 25, 2019.
The plan was approved in September by former UF athletics director Jeremy Foley, making it the second significant facility upgrade for the Gators football program in as many years.
Florida opened its $17 million indoor practice facility in 2015.
Gators athletic director Scott Stricklin said the UAA is currently focused on raising funding for the complex while looking towards the future.
“There is always things we can do and right now our focus is on raising money so we can get that football complex building going and do the renovations we want to do with softball and baseball,” Stricklin said.
“But at the same time I think we will start looking at the Swamp long term and what are some things we can do incrementally to make sure we enhance that, thats such an important of our athletic program, that stadium is. We have to make sure it is a shining beacon and it something that people look at.”
The plan will centralize the football program’s operations in one complex, and its proposed amenities include a players lounge, a recruiting room, a hydrotherapy room and meeting rooms, among others.
The football program’s offices currently sit in the Heavener Complex in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The summary states “the location of the current facilities in relation to the practice fields is not ideal.”
The building will also include “a separate dining facility that will serve all student athletes”.
The project is just another sign that Florida’s athletic department is positioning the program to compete for the best recruits in the country.
