Published in Forbes, 2/20/20
The University of Maryland is embarking on a massive $25 million project to enhance athletic facilities for both men’s and women’s sports on campus.
Funds for the project, dubbed “Building Champions: The Maryland Athletics Facilities Campaign,” are being raised through private donations and will benefit 20 varsity teams and more than 500 student athletes. The renovations are also expected to help Maryland better compete with the competing schools in the Big Ten and other nationally renowned institutions.
“We are investing in facilities that will impact hundreds of student-athletes, enhancing their experience athletically, academically and socially,” Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in a statement. “We are going to invest 25 million dollars in our olympic sport facilities, officially launching a fundraising campaign to help us begin our ‘Building Champions’ project.”
The projects include: A state-of-the-art research center at Cole Field House, the former home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams. A partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park and University of Maryland, Baltimore will provide experts in neuroscience, imaging technology, bioengineering, kinesiology, orthopedics, and other disciplines to serve thousands of patients in the region each year. More than 40,000 square feet of space will be used for research. Cole Field House will be be home to Terrapin Performance Center for the football team and will have an indoor regulation-size practice field, strength, conditioning, and hydrotherapy facilities and advanced physical assessment and diagnostic technology
A performance center for the men’s and women’s basketball programs adjacent to the XFINITY Center will have two floors housing a fitness center, practice courts, locker rooms and separate areas for coaches and visitors.
A $4 million renovation to the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex will feature a 12,000-square-foot team house, new locker rooms and a sports medicine room with rehabilitative and recovery equipment.
A new soccer stadium located next to Cole Field House will have capacity for 8,800 spectators with premium seating options, new video and audio systems and LED lighting.
The Stanley Bobb Baseball Player Development Center will feature an 8,500-square-foot area for indoor hitting and pitching, enhanced technology for analytics and a climate-controlled space for year-round training.
The Softball Development Center is a $2 million project that will replicate the amenities of the Stanley Bobb Baseball Player Development Center.
The $9 million, 1,500-seat track and field stadium will provide upgrades for both the men’s and women’s teams and will have an eight-lane 400-meter competition track, a grass infield, a full hammer cage and multiple throw areas.
Once the football team moves to Cole Field House, its former home, Gossett Hall, will get renovations for shared weight and training areas, improved sports medicine rooms with hydrotherapy and private office space for coaches and training staff. There will also be separate locker rooms, team rooms and meeting rooms.