The momentum for U athletics is rolling strongly now that a new $6 million practice facility is being constructed in place of the bubble on Guardsman Way.

Last year, the school received a donation from Larry H. Miller to construct a video wall at Rice-Eccles Stadium, and now the school will have a brand-new 74,000-square-foot facility that will contain a regulation-size football field complete with FieldTurf footing.

FieldTurf is the same surface used on the Rice-Eccles field.

The impetus behind the project was more of a challenge for Athletics Director Chris Hill.

“An anonymous donor came to me on March 31 and made a challenge lead gift of $2 million,” Hill said in a written statement.

“The donor made the gift subject to a deadline of Memorial Day to raise the rest of the funding and the facility being completed by November in order to help keep up the winning momentum of the Urban Meyer football program,” he said.

The football program was the primary reason for building the new facility, which will aid football coach Meyer in many ways.

“The addition of this new indoor practice facility makes our facilities comparable to any in the nation,” Meyer said.

“We now have everything we need to succeed on the football field and in the classroom.” Meyer said.

“Just as important, the new indoor practice facility shows the commitment the Salt Lake community has made to our football program,” Meyer said.

It will not only help the team, since it is a better facility, but will also be a recruiting aid for students who want to go to a school that has top-notch facilities.

The school has a quality strength and conditioning building with the Smith Center and now it has a new practice facility.

The groundbreaking for the facility took place on June 14 and the plan calls for the building to be finished by November.

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