Forward Progress: New Athletics Facilities from Colleges, Universities and Professional Sports Teams

First Pitch

The Charlotte 49ers released new renderings of the $70 million tower renovation project at Jerry Richardson Stadium. The tower will feature premium seating inventory, including suites, loge boxes, ledge seating, an indoor club, and an east and west deck patio space. The project is part of a plan to increase seating capacity in phases. Groundbreaking on the renovation will begin this year.

The NFL’s Cleveland Browns are moving ahead with a domed stadium tentatively slated for a site currently occupied by Burke Lakefront Airport. New renderings for the proposed 70,000-seat dome and surrounding district feature space for hotels, retail stores, residential units, parking and a marina. 

Louisiana Athletics has announced a $65 million project to renovate the west side of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium, the most significant project at the Sun Belt Conference school’s stadium since it opened in 1971. When completed in 2025, the stadium’s west side will feature 34 suites, 40 loge boxes, 524 club seats, an indoor club, five new chairback sections in the lower west bowl and enhanced amenities for all fans — with a total capacity of more than 30,000. 

Breaking Ground

Virginia Commonwealth University broke ground on a 41.7-acre Athletic Village, located across the street from the future Diamond District and CarMax Park. Construction of the village will span four phases. When complete, the area will include an 18-court indoor/outdoor tennis facility, a 4,000-seat soccer stadium, a track and field complex and a 20,000-square-foot multipurpose training center. The site will also feature practice fields and parking areas.

Rendering courtesy of the University of Southern California

The University of Southern California has broken ground on the Bloom Football Performance Center, following the announcement of a $50 million gift from the Ronald H. Bloom family. The 160,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open in summer 2026, includes two full-length outdoor practice fields — one turf and one natural grass — and a state-of-the-art three-story building dedicated to helping USC’s student-athletes reach their fullest potential in all aspects of life. 

Grand Openings

Vanderbilt University cut the ribbon on a 90,000-square-foot basketball practice facility, which includes two extended indoor basketball courts, a weight room, player locker rooms, film and meeting areas, as well as coaches’ offices. The new construction is part of the school’s $3.2 billion Dare to Grow facility campaign, which is also responsible for the north end zone renovation at FirstBank Stadium. 

The Department of Athletics at Texas Southern University, an HBCU in Houston, hosted a ribbon-cutting for its new Athletic Strength and Conditioning Facility. The 6,600-square-foot facility, which is located behind Alexander Durley Stadium on the Texas Southern campus, features new state-of-the-art weights and weight machines, offices for strength and conditioning staff, and additional space for physical therapy and other services to support student-athletes.

The University of Alabama opened the $47 million Intercollegiate Athletics Golf Facility, which will serve the Tide’s men’s and women’s golf teams. The facility includes a nine-hole course, 16-acre training facility, 410-yard driving range and 25,000-square-foot team building. The facilities were built on a 176-acre site in Tuscaloosa and will be used solely by UA’s golf teams, as well as 30 donors who contributed $14 million of the project’s total cost.