Coastal Carolina University breaks ground on $20M indoor practice facility

CONWAY, S.C. (WMBF) - Coastal Carolina University broke ground on its latest addition to campus on Thursday.

CCU officials said the 90,000-square-foot indoor facility coming across Brooks Stadium will house an artificial teal turf regulation-size field for football practices. The facility will also include two filming platforms, restrooms, storage rooms, and an athletic training space accessible from inside and outside practice areas.

Most of the $20 million cost will come from donations, making it the largest donor-funded project in the school’s history.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | CCU prepares campus for new $20 million athletic facility

CCU Head Football Coach Tim Beck spoke on how difficult it is to practice when the outdoor elements come into play.

“You gotta have a place to go to continue to practice so you can compete at the highest level,” said Beck. “This facility and the support from the university, and the community, to build it shows that they’re behind our players, our student-athletes, and it’s gonna give us an opportunity to compete.”

Director of Athletics, Joe Moglia, pointed out that a lot of the school’s athletic competitors have had indoor facilities for quite a few years.

“Prior to 2017, many of the schools we played had indoor facilities, since 2017 almost everybody we play has an indoor facility,” said Moglia “When we have any sort or rain, or bad weather, or lightning, we can’t practice, but we can if we have an indoor facility.”

On top of the impacts on the football team, officials said the facility will provide space for various other athletic programs, student clubs and other organizations.

“This is for our entire community,” said CCU President Michael T. Benson. “It will be used by the community, by intramurals, by club sports, we’ll use it for staging, for graduation when we have ceremonies in the stadium, so yes it will be used predominantly by our intercollegiate athletics, but this is for everybody.”

The facility will be built by Contract Construction, with construction set to begin in January 2024. It is scheduled to be completed in spring of 2025.

The groundbreaking comes days before the CCU football team hosts Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. Saturday, marking the Chanticleers’ 2023 home opener.

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