Top Menu

UNLV Announces Fertitta Football Complex

fertitta-complex-outside-rendering

UNLV has just received a major boost for its football program, as the university has unveiled the Feritta Football Complex

Complexes and training centers are viewed as key recruiting tools, which is why UNLV has pursuing a facility of this kind for several years. Aiding the effort of the university were brothers Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who donated $10 million to the complex. Earlier this summer the brothers, under the company Zuffa, LLC, sold the majority stake in the UFC for $4 billion.

The two-level Fertitta Football Complex will span 73,000 square feet. Among its amenities are a 9,000 square foot weight room, plus multiple practice fields, as well as offices and study areas. Set to be located north of UNLV’s current on-campus practice field, the Feritta Football Complex is slated to built on a 10-month construction schedule starting next spring.

UNLV has undoubtedly been trying to boost its profile in the college football scene. Aside from the complex, the university is known to be seeking a new stadium in Las Vegas, with a partnership with the Oakland Raiders seen as one possible scenario. Even if the Raiders’ attempted relocation falls through, however, UNLV may still seek a new stadium of its own.

In the meantime, university officials believe that the Fertitta Football Complex should help fuel the football program’s growth. More from the Las Vegas Sun:

A new facility — and down the road a new stadium — is also just the cost of doing business in Division I athletics. UNLV President Len Jessup called this a “transformational gift” not only for the athletics department, which would one day like to join the Pac-12 or another Power 5 league, but also for the university as it continues a push to attain Tier-1 status.

“A fundamental part of that vision for the university is being in a Power 5 conference, or at least operating at that level of quality,” Jessup said.

This qualifies for the latter, and Jessup said the feedback from previous expansion conversations with the Big 12 suggested this was much closer to a need than a want. There are a lot of elements that go into creating a winning program, and this is one.

UNLV has reportedly raised over $16 million for the complex, the price of which is expected to fall in the range of $24 million to $26 million. While the Fertitta’s donation ensures that their family’s name will be on the complex, naming rights opportunities are available in other parts of the facility.

Rendering courtesy of UNLV. 

, ,

August Publications