MINNEAPOLIS - On Saturday, May 19, Gopher Athletics will toss open the door to the new Athletes Village for fans to come and explore the new facilities in what will be the largest event hosted in Athletes Village since it opened to Gopher student-athletes and staff earlier this year.
“Welcome to Athletes Village” is a completely free event that will offer fans the chance to visit many spaces throughout the three new structures added to the department’s existing Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski facilities at the corner of 15th St. SE and 5th Ave. SE in Dinkytown. Gopher Athletics staff will be positioned throughout the facilities to answer questions as fans go on self-guided tours.
Fans will be able to visit select spaces inside the Land O’Lakes Inc. Center for Excellence, Charlie and Kathy Cunningham Basketball Performance Center, David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center and the new indoor practice facility. These spaces include: the Lindahl Academic Center, the nutrition center and the leadership center; basketball practice court, film room, locker room and lounge; football Hall of Fame, Gameday Experience, weight room, team meeting rooms, locker room and lounge, and; the new indoor field.
Fans planning to attend the event will need to register online. For all fans with a Gopher Score, registration opens tomorrow (Tues., Apr. 24) at 9 a.m. Registration for remaining spots will be open to the general public on Thurs., Apr. 26 at 9 a.m. Individuals are limited to reserving six spots for the event and are asked to select an arrival time from one of seven different 30-minute windows, the first starting at 11 a.m. and the last at 2 p.m. Each window will be limited to approximately 285 people.
Funded entirely by ongoing private fundraising and athletics revenue – no taxpayer or tuition money – the Athletes Village opened in January 2018 and added more than 338,000 square feet of new academic, leadership, nutrition, practice, and team support space to Gopher Athletics’ footprint. These were the first significant additions to the everyday facilities Gopher student-athletes use to study and train in more than 30 years. The opening of these facilities are the start of a transformational time for Gopher Athletics, one that has catapulted the department from having some of the worst everyday facilities in the Big Ten to some of the best in the nation.
Though significant, Athletes Village is not the only facilities project currently underway to benefit Gopher student-athletes. By the end of the calendar year, Gopher Athletics will also have opened a new outdoor track and field stadium, a new golf practice facility, and a new wrestling facility, along with continued renovations in Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski to improve facilities for many additional Gopher programs. Like the Athletes Village, this work is being financed entirely through donated funds and athletics revenue.
“Welcome to Athletes Village” is a completely free event that will offer fans the chance to visit many spaces throughout the three new structures added to the department’s existing Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski facilities at the corner of 15th St. SE and 5th Ave. SE in Dinkytown. Gopher Athletics staff will be positioned throughout the facilities to answer questions as fans go on self-guided tours.
Fans will be able to visit select spaces inside the Land O’Lakes Inc. Center for Excellence, Charlie and Kathy Cunningham Basketball Performance Center, David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center and the new indoor practice facility. These spaces include: the Lindahl Academic Center, the nutrition center and the leadership center; basketball practice court, film room, locker room and lounge; football Hall of Fame, Gameday Experience, weight room, team meeting rooms, locker room and lounge, and; the new indoor field.
Fans planning to attend the event will need to register online. For all fans with a Gopher Score, registration opens tomorrow (Tues., Apr. 24) at 9 a.m. Registration for remaining spots will be open to the general public on Thurs., Apr. 26 at 9 a.m. Individuals are limited to reserving six spots for the event and are asked to select an arrival time from one of seven different 30-minute windows, the first starting at 11 a.m. and the last at 2 p.m. Each window will be limited to approximately 285 people.
Funded entirely by ongoing private fundraising and athletics revenue – no taxpayer or tuition money – the Athletes Village opened in January 2018 and added more than 338,000 square feet of new academic, leadership, nutrition, practice, and team support space to Gopher Athletics’ footprint. These were the first significant additions to the everyday facilities Gopher student-athletes use to study and train in more than 30 years. The opening of these facilities are the start of a transformational time for Gopher Athletics, one that has catapulted the department from having some of the worst everyday facilities in the Big Ten to some of the best in the nation.
Though significant, Athletes Village is not the only facilities project currently underway to benefit Gopher student-athletes. By the end of the calendar year, Gopher Athletics will also have opened a new outdoor track and field stadium, a new golf practice facility, and a new wrestling facility, along with continued renovations in Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski to improve facilities for many additional Gopher programs. Like the Athletes Village, this work is being financed entirely through donated funds and athletics revenue.
