The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has announced construction plans for a new $155 million athletic facility to house the school's football program.
The university says that groundbreaking on the 350,000-square-foot athletics facility is expected to take place in summer 2020. Completion is slated for summer 2022.
The facility will be linked to Memorial Stadium and will improve the fan experience by including new vertical transportation modes for fans entering and exiting the stadium.
Nebraska says the "Go Big" project will provide Nebraska Athletics with a facility that will be the largest of its kind in the nation.
The athletic complex will be constructed east and north of Memorial Stadium. It has been designed to provide convenience and benefits for all 600-plus student-athletes on campus and help Nebraska provide what aims to be the most comprehensive student-athlete experience in the nation.
“We are making the investment to once again be a national leader in facilities, and continue our mission of competing at the highest level and building for championships," says Athletic Director Bill Moos.
The facility will have a locker room, strength and conditioning center, athletic medicine facility, equipment room, meeting rooms, coaches’ offices and an additional outdoor practice facility. Plans for the building also include training table and academic support facilities for student-athletes participating in all 24 Nebraska sports.
The last major facility construction for the Nebraska football program was completed in 2006. Since that time, every Big Ten school has opened new football facilities or is in the planning stages of constructing a new facility.
The existing football facilities were built to accommodate a roster of about 125 players. Nebraska’s 2019 roster has more than 150 student-athletes and need an expanded locker and weight rooms, athletic medicine and meeting spaces.
“This new complex will give our football program everything we need to operate efficiently on a daily basis,” says football coach Scott Frost.
The footprint of the new athletic facility will sit on part of the current location of Ed Weir Track, the outdoor home of the Nebraska track and field program. As part of the facilities plan, Nebraska will construct a new outdoor track stadium north of the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Innovation Campus.
The Nebraska Athletic Department has a goal of raising about $100 million to help pay for the "Go Big" project.
