A new 45,000 square-foot practice facility will be built adjacent to the parking garage and tennis courts off Compton Avenue, Belmont University announced Wednesday morning.
“I want to say to the student athletes today, this is because of you,” said university President Dr. Bob Fisher at the press conference.
Fisher said the practice facility will have two full-sized courts for the basketball and volleyball teams to practice on, along with locker rooms and a players’ lounge.
“They deserve the kind of investment we’re making in them. They have proved it over and over in all sorts of ways,” said Fisher.
The success from athletes in both the classroom and on the court were the main reasons behind the decision, said Fisher.
Dr. Bob Fisher speaks during the Athletics Practice Facility announcement at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, January 22, 2020.
“I hope everyone here knows the commitment Belmont has made in academics in our athletic program over the years. We’ve been in Division I conference for 18 years, 16 of those years we’ve won the academic trophy.”
The new facility can also be credited to the work and success from coaches and student-athletes of Belmont’s past, said women’s basketball head coach Bart Brooks.
“I see Betty Wiseman here who started the women’s basketball program in 1968 and I think about where this school but more specifically where this basketball program has gone, it’s just a remarkable story. I’m so proud of all of the alums that have a piece in this.”
One of the goals of the new facility is to show the university is committed to student-athletes and to future recruits, said Corley.
“In Division I athletics there is a continuing need to invest in facilities, to make sure you can remain competitive in recruiting, which is a lifebud for all the programs,” said Corley.
Fisher echoed those sentiments, saying that this was a gift from the current Belmont community to all its future members.
“When you look at the performance of our students on the field and their sportsmanship … I just couldn’t be more proud to be at Belmont and to have these students representing us.”
The new facility will plan to open in the Fall of 2021.
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Contributing reporting by Evan Dorian. Image courtesy of Belmont Athletics. Photo courtesy of Belmont Office of Communications.