UW-Madison Athletic Department officials are hoping a $76.8 million project to enhance Camp Randall's academic and training facilities for student athletes will make Wisconsin more accommodating for athletes and enticing for prospective ones.
The project involves replacing the stadium's turf and creating a 3-story 32,000-square-foot training and academic Student Athlete Performance Center located on the stadium's north end. This facility, which will be complete January 2014, will include updated strength and conditioning equipment, new locker rooms, efficient training spaces and enlarged modernized academic spaces for various teams including football.
Assistant Direct of Athletics for External Relations Justin Doherty said in addition to providing student athletes with updated facilities, it will improve the university's ability to recruit new athletes. He said currently it can be difficult for the university to entice prospective athletes given its outdated spaces and equipment.
"The bottom line is if facility comparison is part of your decision-making process as a recruit, and you hold up one against the other, we don't stand up very well at the moment with some of our peers," Doherty said.
All funding for the project will come from gifts and revenue generated by the athletic department.
Doherty said the renovation will be an important asset to UW athletics by bringing its facilities up to par with competing universities' in the Big Ten and around the country.
He said the inequality in facilities is most apparent when comparing the current size of UW-Madison's weight room to others.
Wisconsin's current weight room is approximately 7,824-square-feet, compared with Big Ten rivals Indiana and Minnesota that measure in at 25,000 and 16,000-square-feet respectively. However, Doherty said upon completion the stadium will house a state-of-the art 17,000-square-foot weight room.
"Our mission is for student athletes, and we are trying to give them the best that we can provide," Doherty said.
—Alex DiTullio contributed to this article
