James W. “Bill” Heavener UF Football Training Center

UF Campus, Gainesville, FL

The center will serve as a world-class, 142,000sf indoor training facility and day-to-day home for Florida football student athletes and staff. This standalone facility, built on the former site of McKethan baseball stadium, gets its name from a generous gift from Bill Heavener, a 1970 UF graduate and a graduate of the Harvard Business School. Heavener is a longtime donor to the University of Florida and the University Athletic Association. The state-of-the-art training center will include meeting rooms, locker rooms, strength and conditioning areas, training rooms and coaches’ offices, all located adjacent to the practice field, creating maximum efficiency for the team. The front lower quadrant of the building will be for all University of Florida student athletes and will include a dining hall, lounge and various outdoor activities and amenities. A 30,000sf outdoor amenity area will feature a basketball court, a 3,000 sf leisure pool, and 3,500 sf lawn. The training complex also will feature a barber shop, virtual reality gaming centers, and golf simulators.

“This facility itself is going to be a really important part of Gator football going forward. It’s an important investment for our present and also our future. We talk about championship experience with integrity and that’s a mark of Gator Athletics, and Bill (Heavener) embodies that in every shape and form. It’s fitting that this facility is going to help Gator football moving forward for generations to come and will have Bill’s name on it.” – Scott Stricklin, UAA Athletic Director