Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® fans and student-athletes can look forward to better sports facilities.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Athletics Department has adopted a comprehensive master plan that covers nine projects. It was developed with the help of Threesixty Architecture of Kansas City, a firm that specializes in the planning and design of sports facilities.
“Our goal is to have the facilities to allow Ragin’ Cajuns athletics programs to continue to grow and compete against the nation’s best,” said Scott Farmer, the University’s director of Athletics. The plan was announced in March.
“For the Athletics Facilities Master Plan to be a success, it will take a lot of work and support from all levels of the Ragin’ Cajuns support base.”
The total price tag is expected to be about $115 million.
Improvements will be made as funding becomes available. The list of projects has been divided into three tiers, based on priority.
Tier 1
- Soccer and track improvements
- Construction of a second indoor practice facility
- Addition of seats on the south end zone of Cajun Field
Tier 2
- Renovation, expansion of M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field
- Other Cajun Field improvements
Tier 3
- Construction of a sports plaza
- Renovation of Academic Center
- Earl K. Long Gym updates
- Culotta Tennis Center improvements
- Construction of a practice court for men’s basketball
Farmer said he expects the work to begin this summer for Tier 1 projects.
The only NCAA sport not included in the Facilities Master Plan is softball. The Ragin’ Cajuns moved into the new 2,800-seat Lamson Park at the start of the 2012 season. The facility enabled the University to host an NCAA regional competition last year, for the first time since 2002. The Cajuns led the country in NCAA regional attendance, with a total of 14,097 fans for the three-day contest.
At the press conference held to announce the Facilities Master Plan, Farmer noted that the University’s athletics budget has seen record increases over the past few years, thanks to the generosity of fans and supporters. But, he said money raised to implement the Facilities Master Plan must be in addition to contributions allocated for the Athletics Department’s operating budget.
University President Dr. Joseph Savoie was on hand for the announcement. He noted that student-athletes set a school record by achieving a combined 2.96 grade point average for Fall 2012. Slightly more than 50 percent of UL Lafayette’s 374 student-athletes achieved at least a 3.0 GPA for the fall term.
“We want to provide better facilities for them, for our fans and for our coaches,” Savoie said. Improved facilities also are expected to help recruit top-drawer student-athletes.
Earlier this year, the University presented its Master Plan for campus growth and development over the next 15 or so years. “This Facilities Master Plan for Athletics is another example of our intention to act strategically and to position the University to be able to take advantage of opportunities in the future. This is our time and we will make the most of it.”
Lafayette Consolidated Government is also working on a comprehensive plan for the city and parish.