Alabama Athletics Plans to Move Forward with Phase II of The Crimson Standard
2/3/2022 4:02:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Gymnastics
New competition arena for basketball and gymnastics as well as golf practice facility planned
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama Athletics has formally proposed moving forward with phase II of The Crimson Standard Initiative, which includes a new competition arena for basketball and gymnastics as well as a practice facility for the golf programs. These plans are pending Stage I approval from the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on Friday. The Board's Physical Properties Committee today recommended Stage I approval.
The Crimson Standard, unveiled in 2018, is Alabama Athletics' 10-year, $600 million capital initiative created to comprehensively elevate the student-athlete experience, recruiting efforts and the overall game-day experience for all Crimson Tide fans. To date, over $470 million has been raised for The Crimson Standard Initiative.
The new arena is projected to seat over 10,000 and designed to bring fans closer to the action on the court. Arena features would include student seating around the majority of the lower bowl in addition to new premium options in club, loge, courtside and lower-level preferred seating.
Coleman Coliseum will continue to serve as the day-to-day practice and preparation site for the programs and will also continue to house the multiple departments currently located within the building.
The golf practice facility would be a first-of-its-kind, featuring a brand new nine-hole golf course, driving range, short game practice area and a golf house. The 18,000-square foot golf house would include a Hall of Fame lobby, golf heritage display and mirrored wings with dedicated space for both golf teams, housing coaches' offices, bag storage and club fitting rooms, a team lounge and locker room, stretch room, putting studio and three indoor hitting bays.
North of the clubhouse, the practice range would feature multiple regulation greens, while the short game practice area would be located west of the club house. The nine-hole golf course, east of the golf house, would offer multiple routing options for on-course practice.
Phase I of The Crimson Standard, completed prior to the 2020-21 season, included several enhancements to Bryant-Denny Stadium with the renovation and expansion of multiple seating areas, a relocated press box, improvements to all team areas and renovated recruiting areas. In addition, renovations were made to the lobby, football locker room and medical treatment area at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility, and the Sports Science Center was added. Rhoads Stadium also received several upgrades including enhancements to the team areas as well as improved amenities and concessions for fans.
For more information on The Crimson Standard, visit CrimsonTideFoundation.org.
All projects are subject to approval of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees, presidential approval and fundraising success.
Quotes
"We are extremely appreciative of the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John and Dr. Bell for consideration as we look to proceed with the next phase of The Crimson Standard. The support of the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, Dr. Bell, our donors and season ticketholders is instrumental in making a project like this come to fruition, and we are grateful. As with the first phase, this next step in the evolution of our facilities would have a significant impact on both our programs and our fans for years to come."
- Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne
"With the support of the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John and our passionate donors, we continue to raise the bar and build upon a world-class experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans. I want to commend Greg Byrne and his staff for achieving this significant milestone and for their continued leadership with The Crimson Standard."
- Alabama President Stuart R. Bell
"Our fan support and student section has been incredible, and we are excited about the possibility of bringing them even closer to the action. I've said multiple times how having that support really makes a huge difference in the home-court advantage, and this would certainly make for an outstanding game-day atmosphere for our team and our fans. We're grateful to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, Dr. Bell, Greg Byrne and all of the administration involved in making this possible, and while keeping focus on the present, certainly look forward to what is to come in the future."
- Alabama Men's Basketball Head Coach Nate Oats
"We are so thankful for what is potentially to come with this new competition arena and appreciate the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John and Dr. Bell for the consideration. The vision and belief from Greg Byrne, Tiffini Grimes and all of our administration is second to none, and this will be a gamechanger for both our program and our fans in the future. We are excited for this evolution and look forward to what would for sure be an incredible game-day experience."
- Alabama Women's Basketball Head Coach Kristy Curry
"We pride ourselves on creating an exceptional fan experience with lots of engagement, and this new facility would give us an opportunity to enhance every bit of meet day. It's not just a gymnastics meet, but an event for everyone involved. Bringing students and fans closer to the action is so important. Thank you to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, Dr. Bell, Greg Byrne and all the administration for laying the groundwork to make this possible. It would be a huge difference-maker for the experience of our student-athletes, our fans and our recruits."
- Alabama Gymnastics Head Coach Dana Duckworth
"What an exciting time for our student-athletes and our program. This is a reflection on what both the men's and women's golf student-athletes have done to create a tradition of excellence in college golf here at Alabama. Thank you to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, Dr. Bell, Greg Byrne, our administration and everyone supporting this project, which would allow for golf to have such an incredible facility. It's something that would transform not only our program and be the best in college golf but make an even bigger impact in the sport as a whole."
- Alabama Men's Golf Head Coach Jay Seawell
"Having a golf course that we can practice and play on exclusively is so important, and we are thrilled that we could have our own home with this facility. We are so excited about what this could do for the future of the golf programs. More on-course golf instruction is trending upward, and this would give us an opportunity to be in a league of our own. Our sincere thanks to the Board of Trustees, Chancellor St. John, Dr. Bell, Greg Byrne, administration and all of those supporting us with the potential addition of this facility."
- Alabama Women's Golf Head Coach Mic Potter
