UH Board of Regents OKs the next phase on an indoor football practice facility.
The University of Houston Board of Regents on Thursday gave approval to move forward with the design phase for a $20 million indoor football facility — the latest move by the school to position itself for possible inclusion in a Power Five conference.
The 80,000-square-foot facility, to be built adjacent to TDECU Stadium, will include a 120-yard synthetic field and football-only sports performance area.
“This is the next piece of the puzzle for our football program to give it the assistance it needs to compete and recruit on a national level,” UH vice president of intercollegiate athletics Hunter Yurachek said during his presentation to regents.
The school has raised $5.7 million toward the project, Yurachek said, and the current plan is to present a design and funding plan for final approval at August’s Board of Regents meeting.
Under that timetable, construction could begin this fall and be competed within nine to 12 months.
Timetable crucial
Coach Tom Herman has been vocal about the need for an indoor facility since his hiring, and certain deadlines were included in his new five-year contract signed in December, decreasing his buyout amount based on start and finish dates.
If the project is not approved by Sept. 1, Her- man’s buyout decreases 25 percent from $2.5 million to $1.875 million. The buyout decreases as much as 75 percent if the facility is not at or near completion by December 2018.
“We want coach Herman to be our football coach for the long term, and this is a piece of the puzzle for him to stay here,” Yurachek said. “We want to hit all those deadlines and metrics for him in his contract to make it very difficult for him to leave the University of Houston.”
Herman said an indoor facility is “vital for our football program.” In Herman’s first season, the Cougars tied a school record with 13 wins, won the American Athletic Conference title and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and finished with a No. 8 national ranking.
“We emphasize championship preparation with a fanatical effort, and having an indoor facility and a football-specific weight room maximizes our efficiency in competing for championships,” Herman said in a statement.
Staying competitive
Most of the schools in Power Five conferences and some from Group of Five conferences — which UH is a part as a member of the AAC — have indoor football facilities.
“This is very common on a college campus to have an indoor practice facility for your football program,” Yurachek said.
An indoor practice facility would provide a retreat from the heat during August preseason camp and from inclement weather; the school currently pays a fee to the NFL’s Texans to occasionally use their practice bubble. Also, the football program currently shares a weight room with 15 other varsity sports in the Athletic/Alumni Center
The indoor facility will be built on a portion of the parking lot adjacent to UH’s stadium parking garage. With the proximity to the two outdoor practice fields, Yurachek said, the university is in talks with the city about creating a thoroughfare for players to go back and forth that would shut down a portion of Holman Street near Scott Street. The street would reopen on game days and allow for access to the parking garage for other events.
Yurachek said the indoor facility will be pushed back as close to the parking garage as possible, so as not to interfere with the view of the downtown skyline from the football stadium.
Also Thursday, Yurachek said he continues to explore options for a temporary home for the men’s and women’s basketball programs for the 2017-18 season when the basketball arena undergoes renovation. Among off-campus venues being considered are Toyota Center, NRG Arena and Texas Southern’s H&PE Arena.