Over the Goal Line

During the June 2 Board of Visitors meeting, University of Virginia President Jim Ryan announced a $5 million anonymous gift toward the Football Operations Center as part of Phase 2 of the athletics department master plan. This commitment completed the funding for the $80 million facility, which saw its groundbreaking that same day.

“I would like to thank the anonymous donors who got us over the goal line with this gift for the Football Operations Center, along with many other supporters who have made valuable contributions to our athletics programs,” Ryan said.

The Football Operations Center will include a locker room, strength and conditioning space, nutrition spaces, meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, video operations, and sports medicine areas for treatment and recovery. The construction schedule includes its opening in spring 2024.

A ground-level view of the future Football Operations Center. (Courtesy ZGF Architects)

“This was an amazing gift and its timing allowed us to complete the fundraising phase for the Football Operations Center,” UVA athletics director Carla Williams said. “While the donors wish to remain anonymous, it is important for us to acknowledge how grateful we are for their generosity.

“Our donors continue to make the master plan a reality, and that is contributing to our overall goal of making Virginia athletics a model for all of college athletics. We’ve still got plenty of work to do to complete the next phase, and as we’ve said before, we need and welcome gifts of all sizes. We have all experienced some challenging times the past few years and, despite that, our supporters have allowed us to continue to press forward. That has been inspirational to all of us.”

The first phase of the master plan began in fall 2018, when more than 400 student-athletes, coaches, and staff moved out of University Hall and Onesty Hall and into the new Training Grounds area. University Hall, Onesty Hall, and the Cage were demolished, clearing the space for two lighted, grass practice fields for the football program that were completed in summer 2020.

University officials broke ground June 2 on the $80 million project. (Courtesy ZGF Architects)

The Virginia Athletics Foundation continues to raise money for the remaining projects associated with the master plan that include an Olympic Sports Complex, a renovation of the McCue Center, an additional practice field, and a pedestrian promenade for improved connectivity between North and Central Grounds.

The master plan complex will provide support facilities for more than 70% of the University’s sports programs. The complex will also include the Center for Citizen Leaders and Sports Ethics, which provides programming for career development, academic achievement, leadership development, personal development, and community engagement, benefiting all 27 UVA varsity sports programs.

Information about the Master Plan is available at VirginiaSportsMP.com.