The Univ. of Miami yesterday "had its groundbreaking ceremony" for the $34M Carol Soffer Football Indoor Practice Facility, which will put the school's football program "on par with almost every program in the country that has an indoor complex to complement their outdoor fields," according to Susan Miller Degnan of the MIAMI HERALD. Construction begins Monday on the facility that is slated to open in time for the '18 season. AD Blake James said that UM has raised $32M in less than a year for the facility, including $1M from the football coach Mark Richt and $250,000 from former NFLer and Jon Beason amid a total of about $1.75M from former UM players. Because the school is so close to the full amount projected to build the facility, James said that a "football ticket surcharge, something previously under consideration, is not in the works." The 81,800-square-foot facility will have" two artificial turf fields -- one 80 yards long and another 40-yard field directly connecting to the Squillante Strength and Conditioning Center." It also will "house a football operations center with a mezzanine level for the football coaches’ offices and meeting rooms" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/5).
