First Pitch
Boise State is in the process of refining plans for an estimated $40 million north end zone expansion at Albertsons Stadium. Plans for the expansion include a club-level suite, which can be used on non-gamedays as a student-athlete dining facility, as well as field-level suites for game days. The expansion will facilitate the connection of the east and west concourses. Boise State has also considered moving the student section into the end zone, but that plan has not been finalized. Athletic director Jeremiah Dickey is hopeful construction will begin in 2024 and be completed in time for the 2025 football season.
Team Norman, a coalition of local leaders in Norman, Okla., have proposed a billion-dollar development that includes construction of a multipurpose venue to serve as home of University of Oklahoma men’s and women’s basketball and OU gymnastics, as well as high school state championships and youth basketball tournaments. The 8,000-seat arena must first be approved by various stakeholders and governmental bodies, beginning with the Norman City Council and Cleveland County Board of Commissioners.
Grand Openings
The University of Illinois Springfield in September cut the ribbon on a new esports arena that will allow students to virtually compete against other collegiate teams across the United States. Located in a newly renovated space in Founders Residence Hall, the UIS Esports Arena features 13 computers that were built to meet the needs of competitive gaming. The arena also features a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch, which will be used for both competitive gaming and recreational play. The arena was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Springfield-based M.G. Nelson Family Foundation.
Image courtesy of Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University held an unveiling ceremony for the new Mississippi State Softball Fieldhouse. The $7 million, 12,000-square-foot facility was built on the site of the former indoor facility along the left-field line of Nusz Park, which was torn down. The fieldhouse includes indoor pitching mounds, five batting cages, a players lounge, locker rooms, a media and film room, showers and a mud room.
Breaking Ground
The University of North Dakota broke ground recently on the Nodak Insurance Company Sports Performance Center. The new facility will house UND’s athletics offices, a weight room, a sports medicine area, and locker rooms for football, softball and men’s and women’s cross country and track and field. The $50 million, 117,000-square-foot facility includes two synthetic turf fields – one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor field is a full 120 yards long and 60 yards wide with a roof that clears 72 feet at its peak.
Montana Western has broken ground on a new on-campus football stadium that will be built around a synthetic turf field. The $4.5 million, 1,500-seat stadium — which includes the turf field, bleachers, a press box, a scoreboard and 350 parking spaces — is expected to be complete in time for the opening of Montana Western’s 2024 season.
