Help build the future of Virginia Athletics.
October 18, 2011 — Jeff White
"The UVa athletics department's drive to build an indoor practice facility for the Cavaliers' football program continues to gain momentum. For a project that will cost $13 million, $8.4 million has been committed, Jon Oliver, UVa's executive associate athletics director, said Tuesday. And now donors -- as well as prospective donors -- can actually see what the facility will look like.
The University received renderings of the project Monday from D.C.-based Bowie Gridley Architects. (They are pictured below.) The facility, which other UVa field sports also will be able to use, is to cover one of the two fields on which coach Mike London's football team currently practices behind University Hall and the McCue Center." Full Article
Why is the Indoor Practice Facility so important?
Hear what influential leaders have to say about the development of this facility and what it will mean to the University and the athletics program.
"This facility is the No. 1 priority in the athletics department right now and will add to the momentum Mike London has generated in his short tenure here."
"It is one thing to talk about a facility like this which will mean so much to our program. 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.
"Having the ability to utilize an indoor facility is critical to the continued development of the football program and the other sports that would be able to use it. Without it, we have to alter, shorten or wait out the weather to conduct a proper practice and we are limited in the work we can do in the winter months. A majority of our competitors have or are in the planning stages of constructing an indoor facility. The ability to train, develop and maintain a competitive edge in an important element in attracting talent that would benefit from the Virginia experience on and off the field."
"We're not trying to enter into an arms race. We're going to do what's right for the University of Virginia. But there are some basic things you need to have in place ... We're not trying to build a Taj Mahal. We're trying to do what it takes to be competitive on an annual basis."
"We hope our donors will recognize the impact that this facility will have on our program, and will help us by making an investment in the long-term success of the football program.”
