From OnlineAthens.com
June 6th, 2016 02:41 PM
Florida just spent its first season using a new $17 million indoor practice facility. More upgrades for the football program are on the horizon under coach Jim McElwain.
Kentucky completed $120 million worth of renovations to Commonwealth Stadium for last season and is slated to open a $45 million football training facility next month.
Georgia’s own $30.2 million indoor building is making progress and next on the drawing board is a new home locker room and recruiting lounge at Sanford Stadium.
“We’re all looking for bigger and shinier and better,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.
Florida’s football upgrades are part of a master plan the school is developing for facilities.
“We’re trying to figure out again exactly what Coach Mac needs,” Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “Certainly, there’s some team area needs. There’s a lot of things we want to do there, but I want to get the master plan in and see what works. Doing something for football is the highest thing on our agenda. Doing something for softball is right up there with it.”
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart spent the past nine seasons as an assistant at Alabama and is well aware of what improvements other schools in the SEC have undertaken may impact recruiting.
“I think in some areas, we’re right on top of things in terms of the indoor just being built,” Smart said. “We’ll have one of the best indoors in the country, also one of the newest. When it comes to places at the stadium right now, we’re probably a little bit behind venues at the stadium. Our current facility we work out in is comparable to some of the SEC schools. Also where our kids live over at ECV (East Campus Village) is one of the better places in the country.”
Ole Miss, as part of its $150 million “Forward Together” campaign, added 30 luxury suites and some 700 club level-seats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before last season to its south end zone and the north end zone will be enclosed before this season, raising capacity to 64,038. A 104 foot-by-49 foot video board in the north end zone will be added and two 30 foot by 50 foot video boards are going up in the south end zone, according to the school.
Smart said “staying updated” in different parts of the Butts-Mehre building is important to compete with others in the league. Georgia has new graphics of some its most notable former players now on display in the areas used by the football program.
Georgia is still in the same stadium locker room that Smart used as a player for the Bulldogs from 1995-98.
“When you’re looking at where our kids are dressing relative to how long we’ve been there, it’s something we think can improve on,” Smart said. “In every sport, you’re trying to improve on your facilities and you want to make sure that you’re getting the best you can out of your facilities and it helps you recruit. When it comes to that regard, certainly I think everybody wants to improve. And also it improves the experience of the fans and different things like that at the stadium when you get a chance.”
Athletic director Greg McGarity emphasized again last week in Destin, Fla., at the league’s spring meetings that the west end zone project will also benefit fans with improved restrooms and concessions and more space to move around, something he said “might have got lost in the shuffle.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who is trying to improve the league’s stature in men’s basketball, noted facility improvements in that sport including Florida remodeling the O’Connell Center and the new Pavilion at Ole Miss opening last season.
Georgia is using $1.8 million to enhance the interior look inside Stegeman Coliseum this offseason and plans a center-hanging scoreboard to come.
“We’ve talked about trying to upgrade our facilities,” coach Mark Fox said. “We’ve had that conversation for a couple of years. I think that we’re finally seeing some movement is pleasing to me.”
Georgia’s football game Nov. 5 at Kentucky will give Bulldog fans its first chance to see a stadium that had work done to add loge box and club seats, a recruiting room, a new press box, suites, revamped and widened concourses, bathrooms, lights and exterior façade.
“The stadium’s been a huge success,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “Our fans really like it, our players like it. Certainly the amenities are there and the premium seating is there for our fans, which we love. It’s helping us with recruiting. We added a recruiting room to it and that’s a beautiful venue. A lot of people who have seen it have been impressed with that. We’re in the process of finishing our football building. That will help our day-to-day operations and that should be done in July. …We’ve had some good solid recruiting and hopefully this will add to that.”
...READ MORE HERE...
June 6th, 2016 02:41 PM
Florida just spent its first season using a new $17 million indoor practice facility. More upgrades for the football program are on the horizon under coach Jim McElwain.
Kentucky completed $120 million worth of renovations to Commonwealth Stadium for last season and is slated to open a $45 million football training facility next month.
Georgia’s own $30.2 million indoor building is making progress and next on the drawing board is a new home locker room and recruiting lounge at Sanford Stadium.
“We’re all looking for bigger and shinier and better,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.
Florida’s football upgrades are part of a master plan the school is developing for facilities.
“We’re trying to figure out again exactly what Coach Mac needs,” Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said. “Certainly, there’s some team area needs. There’s a lot of things we want to do there, but I want to get the master plan in and see what works. Doing something for football is the highest thing on our agenda. Doing something for softball is right up there with it.”
Georgia football coach Kirby Smart spent the past nine seasons as an assistant at Alabama and is well aware of what improvements other schools in the SEC have undertaken may impact recruiting.
“I think in some areas, we’re right on top of things in terms of the indoor just being built,” Smart said. “We’ll have one of the best indoors in the country, also one of the newest. When it comes to places at the stadium right now, we’re probably a little bit behind venues at the stadium. Our current facility we work out in is comparable to some of the SEC schools. Also where our kids live over at ECV (East Campus Village) is one of the better places in the country.”
Ole Miss, as part of its $150 million “Forward Together” campaign, added 30 luxury suites and some 700 club level-seats at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium before last season to its south end zone and the north end zone will be enclosed before this season, raising capacity to 64,038. A 104 foot-by-49 foot video board in the north end zone will be added and two 30 foot by 50 foot video boards are going up in the south end zone, according to the school.
Smart said “staying updated” in different parts of the Butts-Mehre building is important to compete with others in the league. Georgia has new graphics of some its most notable former players now on display in the areas used by the football program.
Georgia is still in the same stadium locker room that Smart used as a player for the Bulldogs from 1995-98.
“When you’re looking at where our kids are dressing relative to how long we’ve been there, it’s something we think can improve on,” Smart said. “In every sport, you’re trying to improve on your facilities and you want to make sure that you’re getting the best you can out of your facilities and it helps you recruit. When it comes to that regard, certainly I think everybody wants to improve. And also it improves the experience of the fans and different things like that at the stadium when you get a chance.”
Athletic director Greg McGarity emphasized again last week in Destin, Fla., at the league’s spring meetings that the west end zone project will also benefit fans with improved restrooms and concessions and more space to move around, something he said “might have got lost in the shuffle.”
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, who is trying to improve the league’s stature in men’s basketball, noted facility improvements in that sport including Florida remodeling the O’Connell Center and the new Pavilion at Ole Miss opening last season.
Georgia is using $1.8 million to enhance the interior look inside Stegeman Coliseum this offseason and plans a center-hanging scoreboard to come.
“We’ve talked about trying to upgrade our facilities,” coach Mark Fox said. “We’ve had that conversation for a couple of years. I think that we’re finally seeing some movement is pleasing to me.”
Georgia’s football game Nov. 5 at Kentucky will give Bulldog fans its first chance to see a stadium that had work done to add loge box and club seats, a recruiting room, a new press box, suites, revamped and widened concourses, bathrooms, lights and exterior façade.
“The stadium’s been a huge success,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “Our fans really like it, our players like it. Certainly the amenities are there and the premium seating is there for our fans, which we love. It’s helping us with recruiting. We added a recruiting room to it and that’s a beautiful venue. A lot of people who have seen it have been impressed with that. We’re in the process of finishing our football building. That will help our day-to-day operations and that should be done in July. …We’ve had some good solid recruiting and hopefully this will add to that.”
...READ MORE HERE...
