University of Minnesota Athletics
Athletes Village Breaks Ground
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Oct. 30, 2015
View Full Ceremony Video (YouTube)
University of Minnesota leaders and supporters gathered behind the Bierman Field Athletic Building Friday morning at the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Athletes Village. The project will build the first new development facilities for Gopher Athletics in more than 30 years and provide updated facilities for current and future Gopher student-athletes across all 25 of Minnesota's programs.
"Today's groundbreaking is a historic day for Gopher Athletics and a major step forward in providing Gopher student-athletes with the facilities that will prepare them to achieve greatness in the classroom, in competition and later in life," said Interim Director of Athletics Beth Goetz. "The Athletes Village will have a positive impact on every Gopher student-athlete and every Gopher program, leading to greatness for the entire University and state. I want to thank everyone here today, throughout Minnesota and beyond for your support of this project and our student-athletes."
Several hundred donors, fans, coaches, student-athletes and staff heard from a collection of speakers at the outset of Friday's program: Goetz, student-athlete April Bockin, University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, Board of Regents Chairman Dean Johnson, Land O'Lakes President and CEO Chris Policinski, John and Nancy Lindahl, and Lou Nanne. Their remarks covered the significant impact these facilities will have on generations of Gopher student-athletes, the University and the state of Minnesota, and celebrated the support shown by the U of M community to advance the project to this point.
"I grew up in Minnesota and it means a lot to me to represent our entire state by competing for the Golden Gophers. It's a dream come true and you make that dream possible," Bockin, a freshman on the Gopher soccer team, told the crowd. "This new Athletes Village that we are celebrating today will completely change the academic and athletic experience for all student-athletes, and I just want to say thank you for everything you do for me and for all of us."
After making their remarks, the event's speakers donned hardhats, grabbed shovels and removed the first dirt from the project site, a symbolic gesture preceding the import and export of more than 86,000 cubic yards of earth during the construction process.
The event atmosphere was festive, featuring music from the University of Minnesota pep band and a rousing welcome for attendees as dozens of Gopher student-athletes lined up and welcomed guests to the event by forming a human tunnel and handing out high-fives, fist bumps, handshakes and thank-yous.
The Athletes Village will provide Gopher student-athletes with a variety of updated resources. The central piece of the project is the Land O'Lakes Center for Excellence, which will house new academic, nutrition and leadership centers. This new structure will provide significantly more space for all Gopher student-athletes, more than doubling the size of the current academic center, transforming on-campus student-athlete development opportunities, and providing Gopher Athletics' first centralized training table to feed all student-athletes and host nutrition programs.
"The Land O'Lakes Center for Excellence is a direct investment in the next generation of leaders who will help us solve some of the world's greatest challenges," said Policinski. "This Center will serve as a cornerstone of our holistic partnership with the University of Minnesota."
In addition, the new Basketball Development Center, Football Indoor Practice Facility and Football Performance Center will expand available practice and training space for those programs, while also opening space in existing buildings - the Bierman Field Athletic Building and the Gibson-Nagurski complex. These buildings will be renovated to provide more practice space, meeting rooms and offices for many other Gopher programs and student-athletes, ultimately having a direct, positive impact on every Gopher program.
For more details on the Athletes Village, please visit NothingShortOfGreatness.com.
