Veatch to overhaul Gators’ facilities
As UF quarterback Feleipe Franks’ high-flying spiral headed his way, Laird Veatch stood at the edge of the south end zone sensing something special was in the air.
“I had this view of the ball and the receiver converging. ‘This might happen, this might happen,’” Veatch recalled thinking. “It was like right there in front of me. It was awesome.”
When the football landed in Tyrie Cleveland’s hands to beat Tennessee last month, Veatch was as stunned as anyone in the Swamp. Maybe more. As first impressions go, the iconic stadium lived up to its reputation for UF’s new director of athletic facilities, who was on hand for his first football game.
“The Swamp, I had heard a lot about it, of course,” Veatch said. “It definitely has a very unique vibe and feel to it that’s really cool. Some places just have that.”
But while the soul of the Swamp is singular and the building’s structure is sound, Veatch has ideas how to further enhance the fan experience and give the aging facility a facelift.
“The way I see it the bones of the Swamp are fantastic,” he said. “The way it’s structured, the way it feels … it’s not like you want to come in and change the Swamp.
“So how do you take the bones of that and take it to today’s finish, feel and look?”
These are a few of the questions swirling in the 45-year-old’s head as he and first-year athletic director Scott Stricklin look to change the face of UF athletics.
Veatch inherited a blueprint for facility upgrades when he arrived this pass summer from alma mater Kansas State. Already, though, there have been changes.
Plans surfaced last week for a new, $45.9-million baseball stadium to replace the proposed $30 million in renovations to McKethan Stadium.
The centerpiece of the UAA’s so-called ‘master plan’ is a 135,920-square foot, $60 million stand-alone football facility. The more than $100 million in projects also includes an overhaul of the Katie Seashole Pressly Softball Stadium and the practice facility at Mark Bostick Golf Course.
But the work will not end there.
Upgrades to the Swamp — the mother of all UF facilities — were not included in the plan. Yet some needs, like WiFi capability, are high priority.
For students and younger fans, social media is as critical to the game-day experience as instant replay or updated statistics.
“That's a concern across the country right now, the declining student attendance,” Veatch said. “We're very fortunate here compared to a lot of places. But that's a real concern because those are your future donors, your future fans.
“We have to connect with them the right way."
Veatch first has made sure to connect with the head coaches of every program. Every UF sport and facility has its wish list.
Veatch also knows the Gators’ University Athletic Association cannot do everything at once.
“You’re going to have to prioritize it out,” he said. “If you do thing for one sport that impacts what you can do for the next sport, you got to kind of sequence it in the right way. A lot of that planning we’re doing now.”
The day of the Tennessee game, Veatch zipped around the grounds in a golf cart, soaking in the tailgating scene and the festivities around the stadium. He attended pre-game briefings with support personnel and visited with everyone from every-day fans to ticket-takers to Bull Gators in their luxury suites.
“I’m trying to bring is maybe a different set of eyes that haven’t been around to see what we’ve done and what little things we can do to get better,” Veatch said.
Veatch knows some things, like Franks’ Hail Mary, cannot be improved, either.
“I was like, this can’t be … this is perfect,” Veatch recalled. “I think I won’t forget this.”