ATHENS — Georgia will be making a noticeable addition to its football complex, with the University of Georgia Athletic Association approving funding for the project at its Friday meeting.
Project construction will begin in January 2026, with its expected completion date being July 2027. The full project funding request is $56 million, which was approved unanimously at the Georgia athletic board meeting Friday.
“It means a ton,” Georgia Athletic Director Josh Brooks said about the project. “As I reflect on my 15-plus years at Georgia and thinking about the progress we’ve made, that complex, whether we’re talking about the indoor facility, the Butts-Mehre (Heritage Hall) expansion, this is really a key — you’ll never say final, but a key final piece in terms of getting it right with the practice fields where we can have key, functional, efficient practices.
“The footprint will be dynamic. Adding the parking, which we know is always an issue. To have all that under one footprint with what we’ve already done, I think, is going to really be a nice piece added.”
The project will involve lowering the current track complex by 12 feet by removing about 80,000 cubic feet of soil. There will also be a parking lot built at the site, which will create 168 parking spots for athletes and staff.
There will be an equipment room and training built that will also give donors and recruits the opportunity to view practice
Construction will give Georgia two more grass fields, which will be built at the current site of the Spec Towns Track on South Lumpkin Street. The construction would give Georgia three grass fields, along with a “partial” turf field. That does not include Georgia’s indoor practice facility, which also contains field space for the football program to use.
“Infrastructure upgrades of full lighting on all of the fields, new telescopic video capabilities with a control room so we’re not going out there and hand-filming practice anymore,” Tanner Stines, Georgia’s associate athletic director of facilities and capital projects, said at the board meeting. “It’ll all be recorded remotely and go back into a separate room. And just really bringing the practice complex into the 21st century.”
Georgia is expected to complete construction on its new track and field complex in January. The complex, now located off South Milledge Avenue, is set to be finished before the track team begins practice in January.
The new track project had a price tag of $59.8 million. The Georgia women’s track and field team won its first outdoor national championship in June. It is the lone construction project going on within Georgia athletics at this point in time.
Brooks added that Georgia will host the 2027 SEC Championships at the track facility, along with the GHSA track and field championships.
Georgia has completed a number of big-ticket projects in recent years, such as renovating Stegeman Coliseum and Foley Field, while building a new press box, adding luxury seating and expanding the concourses at Sanford Stadium.
A master plan for Sanford Stadium is ongoing still.
Brooks shared that Georgia raised over $460 million in fundraising over the past five years. That number is accurate as of Friday morning.
Credit: UGAAA
Credit: UGAAA
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