http://www.gatorzone.com/story.php?id=29562&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=wall%20post&utm_term=football&utm_campaign=University%20Athletic%20Association%20Announces%20Plans%20to%20Build%20an%20Indoor%20Practice%20Facility%20for%20Football
IPF is now a done deal
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Football
Headline
A rendering of the new indoor football practice facility the UAA announced plans for Wednesday.
Wednesday January 21, 2015University Athletic Association Announces Plans to Build an Indoor Practice Facility for Football
A rendering of the new indoor football practice facility the UAA announced plans for Wednesday.
Scott Carter
By SCOTT CARTER
GatorZone.com Senior Writer
Indoor Practice Facility
Renderings of new indoor practice facility are subject to change. (Courtesy of Davis Architects)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The reboot of the Florida football program, highlighted by the hiring of head coach Jim McElwain last month, will include bulldozers and dump trucks soon.
The University Athletic Association announced plans on Wednesday to start construction on an indoor practice facility for football. The Gators are expected to break ground on the $15 million project this week with plans to have the facility ready to use by early September.
"This is something we have talked about internally for some time," said Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley. "We have always been able to utilize the O'Connell Center as an indoor option for the football team, but with the renovation starting this spring, it will no longer be available."
The long-rumored indoor practice facility will be built on the site of the Sanders Football Practice Fields, located adjacent to McKethan Stadium on UF's campus.
The announcement comes at a time when indoor practice facilities are part of the normal landscape for major college football programs. Every team in the Southeastern Conference either already has one or has plans to build one.
For the Gators it means an opportunity to escape the harsh heat and inclement weather that often plagues the team during fall camp, and to avoid missing significant practice time during the season due to weather conditions.
IPF
Twice during Florida's preparation for Florida State in the final week of the regular season the Gators' practices were either cut short or altered due to inclement weather.
Overall during the 2014 season, an estimated 30 practices were impacted by the weather, which forced the Gators to reschedule practice, move inside to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center or Florida Gym, or cancel practice completely.
The team is forced to stop practice when lightning is within an eight-mile radius.
Based on plans released by the UAA, the indoor practice facility will house a 120-yard synthetic turf football field, additional space for practice drills on the north end of the field, three camera platforms, satellite training-room facilities, equipment storage and restrooms.
The project also features a newly redesigned entrance to the baseball stadium and football practice facility, and an adjoining plaza between the facilities.
Chip Howard, Florida's executive associate athletic director for internal affairs, has worked closely with project designer Davis Architects (Birmingham, Ala.) and Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors, also located in Birmingham, on developing proposals for the indoor practice facility.
The facility has the features to help the Gators achieve what they need to when forced to move inside to escape the weather.
In addition to the indoor practice facility, the Sanders football practice fields will include two natural grass fields, one 120-yard field (two end zones) and a 70-yard field (one end zone).
The indoor facility will have multiple overhead roll-up doors along the east and west side for ventilation, and also for easy access to allow the team to utilize all three fields during a practice. The facility will also be available for other Florida athletic teams to use as needed.
The estimated $15 million project will be funded through private gifts and capital financing.
Good. Glad we're not dropping 12 mil on a sawed off, half assed 70 yard practice facility as was the original plan.
This should have been done years ago
This should have been done years ago
I think these things are highly overrated, but I'm glad we're finally getting one if for nothing else than removing one more thing for our competitors to knock us about and keep us on an even playing field facility wise. Now about the new jerseys...
Foley sucks!! Fire him
I think oozie and I have discussed this before. I think IPFs are overrated and just take up a bunch of space and they are often times just eye sores.
I think oozie and I have discussed this before. I think IPFs are overrated and just take up a bunch of space and they are often times just eye sores.
Folley is the reason that this is our only good news. Dude shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a top tier football program.
I don't know. With lightning and extreme heat there will definitely be many opportunities for the football team to use it.
It also is basically a giant advertisement for your program. You can decorate and re-decorate the inside quite often to change with the times much easier than you can the stadium.
Looking at some of what other schools have I've tried to put myself in the shoes of a recruit and an indoor facility is an advantage over a school who does not have one in today's recruiting.
This post was edited on 1/21 9:20 AM by cnewz
Yes he has only been the AD for all 3 of UFs national championships in football. Other than that he hasn't done a thing, except also be the AD for the only 2 national championships the state has ever seen in basketball.
Yes he has made some mistakes. Doesn't everybody?
Football is played in the elements, I hardly think a team having to practice in humidity or some rain is the big deal y'all make it out to be. Where I'm from they call that preparation. Our team won't be able to run into an indoor facility on Saturday's when it's too humid or raining in a September game will they? There's give and take. No one said they aren't necessary, but they are overrated. But like I said I'm glad we're finally getting one if for nothing else than to keep up.
I think the issue is the rule regarding lightening, oozie. I agree football is played in the elements, but if you're unable to play because lightening struck in the next town over, then you need an IPF in order to not be hampered by the "rule", not so much the weather itself.
Someone explain to me how "practices impacted by weather" adversely affect teams from Florida when FSU, Florida and Miami have dominated the college football world without indoor practice facilities. They are good to attract recruits I suppose, but I agree with the "overrated" part.
BINGO. Remind me how many games we play every year inside a Dome? I agree an IPF can be useful, but I would be careful not to just use it every time there is a little bit of rain, etc.
This press release was strategically planned for right about now with a few weeks before NSD for recruits to see and read for themselves. Muschamp himself has been negative recruiting UF and telling recruits facility upgrades will never happen, etc. McElwain has already got more accomplished at UF in about a month then Muschamp could get accomplished in 4 years.
Question because I don't know. But do you think we finally got upgrades because they believe in McElwain that much or was it something in the works? Because I remember Meyer wanting some, but I don't remember why it stalled. I could see a scenario where they wanted Muschamp to win big before committing, but then that wouldn't really make sense since McElwain is getting the upgrades before proving himself.
Something was already in the works in regards to the IPF, but it was only going to be 70 yards. McElwain demanded to make it a 120 yards otherwise he wasn't going to use it and told them just don't even bother building one if your not going to make it 120. McElwain has pushed for some other facilty upgrades that are happening. Muschamp just didn't know how to handle everything it takes to run a college football program. There is much much more responsibilities than just X's and O's for a head coach. Muschamp just didn't know how to run a program and how to go about things and getting things that were needed or wanted. It's just one more reason why I believe the coach at UF needs to be a head coach somewhere else before he cuts his teeth at UF. This job just isn't for 1st timers.
That's why Foley loved Muschamp so much. He was a Yes Man that would back Foleys ridiculous claims that we dont need an IPF and that our facilities havent fallen behind. It must be killing Foley that we are now entering the "arms race" that he has so often denounced. Im glad Mac stood up to him. He wanted to build a 70 yard shed that would have been as useful as tits on a boar hog just to end the IPF discussion.
That's why Foley needs to go. He's become a rest on his laurels type just like Bowden, Paterno, and countless other entrenched, tenured leaders before him. He lacks vision and refuses to recognize the changing landscape in college football.
That's why Foley needs to go. He's become a rest on his laurels type just like Bowden, Paterno, and countless other entrenched, tenured leaders before him. He lacks vision and refuses to recognize the changing landscape in college football.
Have emails here on campus dating back to early September saying they were putting out for bids for the IPF and were estimating to pay 10.5million. I guess that initial plan was to go cheapo just to say we could have one and have our competitors not be able to use that against us in recruiting any further. Coach Mac probably has been instrumental in getting this blown up to full size and spending the extra coins to make it a legitimate field.
Now if only we could spend properly and get a retractable roof on it and have the surface as real grass, we'd be perfect.
You read some statements and you think "(C)can someone with enough intelligence to turn on a computer actually think that?" After you keep reading, you come to the realization (sadly) that the answer is "yes".
Foley is one of the very best ADs in the country. It will be a sad for UF when he retires.
Again, please stick to Winston legal threads, your knowledge of anything remotely athletic is limited to your elementary school kickball.
I find it rather hard to believe that in one month, Mac has been able to get the pull and support to basically double the size of the IPF, which already had funds allotted to it.
Not to mention that he's hopefully been a tad busy with staffing and recruiting.
If true though, the guy is very persuasive.
Not to mention that he's hopefully been a tad busy with staffing and recruiting.
If true though, the guy is very persuasive.
UGA's ipf is closer to 20 yards. It's totally worthless. A full sized ipf that saves us one day of practice during a game week is worth every penny we spend on it.
McElwain told Foley that he won't use it if it is only 70 yards long. If your only going to make it 70 yards don't even bother building it. McElwain already went through this exact same issue with Colorado State and their IPF.
Yea I'm not even sure what the purpose of theirs is, there legitimately isn't enough room in there to run any type of scrimmage. Hell they barely have enough room to separate position groups. That's just a case of a school building one just to build one without thinking about how it will help them.
Georgia's looks like an indoor racquetball court.
Foley did the right thing with you guys in waiting to build it. In 'champs offense, you didn't need a dedicated facility - the offense could practice by using the width of any standard hallway of any building in Gainesville.
Foley did the right thing with you guys in waiting to build it. In 'champs offense, you didn't need a dedicated facility - the offense could practice by using the width of any standard hallway of any building in Gainesville.
In all seriousness, the IPF is going to be one of those prefabricated warehouse structures. Big steel I-beams holding up the metal superstructure. Making a retractable roof on something such as that is relatively easy. I wasn't making a joke. The Swamp on the other hand would be nearly impossible to engineer any kind of structure over without just making it totally ugly.
I take offense at your suggestion that Muschamp's offense ever practiced. You're treading a fine line here buddy before a nice vacation...Originally posted by SeaPA:
Georgia's looks like an indoor racquetball court.
Foley did the right thing with you guys in waiting to build it. In 'champs offense, you didn't need a dedicated facility - the offense could practice by using the width of any standard hallway of any building in Gainesville.
With one of those clocks on the wall that you see in schools so Muss could monitor TOP.Originally posted by SeaPA:
Georgia's looks like an indoor racquetball court.
Foley did the right thing with you guys in waiting to build it. In 'champs offense, you didn't need a dedicated facility - the offense could practice by using the width of any standard hallway of any building in Gainesville.
