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At a time when budget cuts are on everyone’s minds, one might wonder where the UNF athletic department plans to get the money for an estimated $30 million project called UNF Varsity Village.

Students do not have to worry about seeing a raise in tuition for this project. UNF Varsity Village is going to be donor-funded. To date, a little more than $5 million has been raised, according to Shawn LaFata, director of media relations.

The plans for Varsity Village, which include bringing two new athletic facilities to UNF and upgrades to many of the current athletic facilities, were announced Sept. 2 by Athletic Director Dr. Richard Gropper.

The expected completion date depends on how quickly the funds are raised, Associate Athletics Director Rick Granger said.

Varsity Village will include a student wellness and sports education center, which will provide a state-of-the-art fitness area for all UNF students. This center is being funded through Student Affairs, and it has a good portion of money in place to start that, Granger said.

“As we move deeper into this NCAA Division I transition, all facets of what we do must continue to grow, and that includes our athletic facilities,” Gropper said. “We would not be able to take on a project like this without the tremendous support we have received from our booster organization – the Osprey Club – as well as the administration at UNF that supports what we are doing every step of the way.”

The plans for Varsity Village also encompass building a new 3,000-seat baseball stadium on UNF’s northern property and renovating the current baseball stadium – Harmon Stadium – into a 1,200-seat softball stadium.

Planned additions to the UNF Arena include a video room, academic support area and a combined hall of fame and recruiting lounge.

Upgrades planned for the Arena include locker rooms, athletic offices, seating restoration and a scoreboard.
“The [athletes] are thrilled,” Granger said. “Student athletes want to see what kind of facilities you’ve got because they’re comparing UNF to Central Florida, South Florida and everybody else that’s recruiting them.”

The swimming and diving facility will be expanded to house office space for coaches, equipment storage and a locker room for student-athletes.

While Varsity Village still has ground to cover, some portions of the project have already been completed including the resurfacing of the tennis courts and the new Hodges Stadium press box, lighting, seating, student-athlete strength and conditioning center and the nine-lane track.

The completion of the new student-athlete strength and conditioning facility at Hodges Stadium was paid for by lead gifts from John Hayt and Tony Weight.

“I think [Varsity Village] is going to be a great benefit to the school in its entirety,” Hayt said. “UNF is a great university and asset to our community. It’s growing, and it’s going to continue to add to the world of business in Northeast Florida, Florida and the entire Southeast.”

Still in the plans for Hodges Stadium are an upgrade to synthetic turf, an upgraded scoreboard, and the additions of an equipment storage room, laundry facility and ticket box offices.

E-mail Lori Bero at sports@unfspinnaker.com.