UM Unveils Plans For New Indoor Practice Facility
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The University of Miami has released their plans on Friday to build a new indoor practice facility for the school's football team.
The Carol Soffer Football Indoor Practice Facility, an 81,800 square-foot facility and 20,000 square-foot football operations center, will include a mezzanine level housing coaches' offices, meeting rooms and a recruiting suite, with views overlooking the indoor fields.
In honor of their mother, Carol, Jeffrey Soffer and his siblings made a $14 million commitment towards the complex, the largest donation in the history of the Department of Athletics.
"I've been a passionate supporter of the University of Miami Athletics Department for over 20 years, and I'm honored that my family and I can be part of this tremendous project," Carol Soffer said. "The football indoor practice facility will bring a new dimension to the university. It will have a lasting effect on all student-athletes now and in the future."
The facility will be built over the current Greentree practice fields and will connect to the weight room at the Hecht Athletic Center and the Schwartz Center's locker room.
Check out more renderings of the future project!
Former UM alum and current head coach Mark Richt made it a personal mission to get an indoor practice facility built for the football program when he took the job. The Hurricanes remain the only Power 5 conference school without one.
Along with his wife, the Richt's donated $1 million to help get the project started.
Currently, $24 million of the $34 million project has already been pledged by donors, with fundraising continuing through the fall and groundbreaking beginning once all funds have been committed.
It's expected to be completed in 2018.
The Hurricanes are currently ranked #15 in the AP Top 25.
