Athletics Facilities Master Plan Unveiled

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas Athletic Facilities Master Plan, a long-term vision designed to shape the future of Razorback Athletics, was released on Tuesday by Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Jeff Long. Long outlined the plan in a 30-minute video posted on ArkansasRazorbacks.com on Tuesday morning before addressing the media at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have an obligation to plan for the future and the Athletic Facilities Master Plan enables us to move forward in the best interests of meeting the needs of our student-athletes, coaches, donors and fans,” Long said. “The plan is an ambitious wish list to address facility needs for all 19 of our sports over the next five, 15 and 30 years. It is the next step to build our program and maintain competitiveness in the Southeastern Conference and nationally.”

The Athletic Facilities Master Plan was developed by an architect team including Populous, Modus Studios and University Facilities Management. In February 2010, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees approved the commission of the Athletic Facilities Master Plan.

“We appreciate the support of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees and university administration on this project,” Long said. “The master plan was developed in coordination with the overall Campus Growth Plan. Before any new project is started, we will present plans to the Board of Trustees for approval.”

There is no timeline for any facility included in the Athletic Facilities Master Plan, with the exception of the Football Center. A groundbreaking ceremony for the Football Center is set for Nov. 4 at 3 p.m., the day before the Arkansas-South Carolina football game in Fayetteville. The soccer locker room renovation included in the plan has already been completed.

The plan includes a range of estimated costs on the various projects based on a range of square footage projections. In the past 11 years, the University of Arkansas has spent an average of $18 million annually on facilities renovation and construction.

“Certainly as you look at the overall total cost of the plan it is a significant investment of more than $320 million,” Long said. “However, when you put that within context over the long range of the plan, the financial commitment to our facilities is in line with what we have spent in the past 11 years. We will employ the same approach we have traditionally to help pay for the projects, including utilizing major gifts, Razorback Foundation funds, revenues from ticket sales and SEC revenue distribution.”

Neither public funds nor student tuition is used for athletic projects or programs. For detailed information about the Athletic Facilities Master Plan including drawings of the various projects please visit the Master Plan home page on ArkansasRazorbacks.com.