MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama Board of Trustees approved plans for a new covered outdoor football facility Friday on the final day of its quarterly meetings.

While the facility will be primarily utilized by the Jaguar football team, it will also be available for other athletic department and university functions.

The structure — which will be located east of the existing football practice fields — is expected to have a footprint of 96,000 square feet and will house a fully-covered regulation football field in addition to a 15-yard practice area for supplemental drills in order to provide an all-weather opportunity for practice.  Officials expect to break ground on the football pavilion in January 2017, with the facility ready for use during the season in the fall.  The facility will be funded through a combination of repurposed football operating funds and external funds.



"In Mobile, Ala., lightning and heavy rain can at times preclude our ability to practice and prepare for games," USA Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann said. "This facility will eliminate that from happening.  In addition, the facility will allow our teams to escape from direct sunlight in the heat of the day during the hottest time of the year.  This facility will be available for use by all of our programs, and we truly believe it will bolster our competitive performance and enhance our recruiting efforts."



The pavilion is set for a clear interior height of 65 feet that will allow for all practice drills — with the exception of live punting — and a 20-foot run off at the perimeter that will provide adequate space to safely conduct other aspects of the team's workouts, with regulation goal posts included in each end zone.  A filming mezzanine will be located along one side of the facility, along with a filming platform beyond each end zone.  Other amenities expected to be included are full protective padding at all interior vertical surfaces for enhanced player safety, restrooms, equipment storage, a fully-integrated lightning protection system and audio systems.

The covered pavilion will be open-sided to allow for natural ventilation but has been designed to be fully enclosed in the future.



Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Inc. (GMC) of Mobile is the project architect, in addition to providing landscape architecture and electrical engineering services. Other members of the project team include Krebs Engineering, civil engineer; Barter & Associates, Inc., structural engineer; and Edmonds Engineering, Inc., mechanical engineer.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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