UCLA will hold an official groundbreaking ceremony for both the Wasserman Football Center and Mo Ostin Basketball Center on Thursday, Aug. 27, less than two years removed from campaign announcements to raise private funds for the separate, comprehensive football and basketball training facilities.
As a result of the generosity and leadership of alumni, fans and friends from across the country, work on the much-anticipated on-campus training and performance facilities will begin in mid-August, ahead of schedule.
The ceremonial shovel-turning on Aug. 27, featuring Athletics Director Dan Guerrero, benefactors Casey Wasserman and Mo Ostin, head football coach Jim Mora, head men’s basketball coach Steve Alford, head women’s basketball coach Cori Close and other special guests, will take place just west of Spaulding Field, southwest of Pauley Pavilion.
“When we announced the capital campaigns for these projects, I mentioned that our Bruin alumni and friends, time and again, consistently step up when called upon to help shape our future,” said Guerrero. “This undertaking has been no exception. At UCLA, we understand the significance of these four letters – the tradition, progressiveness and all-around excellence that they represent. With that understanding, this is not merely a groundbreaking; this is confirmation that UCLA will continue as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation while remaining a force to be reckoned with well into the future.”
While the anticipated groundbreaking marks a pivotal step for UCLA Athletics, securing additional private funds is imperative to the overall success of these projects. UCLA supporters have demonstrated their enthusiasm for the projects by committing more than $70 million in philanthropic contributions, but there is still work to be done in order to complete them to the first-class standard UCLA Athletics has set forth.
To date, more than $54 million in funding has now been secured towards the $65 million phase-two Wasserman Football Center fundraising goal, while more than $16 million in funding has been secured towards the $25 million fundraising goal for the Mo Ostin Basketball Center.
The comprehensive, state-of-the-art Wasserman Football Center will be located on the west side of Spaulding Field and boast approximately 75,000 gross square-feet of space. Designed by award-winning architectural, planning, and interior design firm ZGF Architects LLP, the Wasserman Football Center will house a locker room, athletic training area, strength and conditioning facility, coaches’ offices, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms, in addition to several elements that will feature the storied history of UCLA Football.
With approximately 35,000 gross square-feet of space, the comprehensive, state-of-the-art Mo Ostin Basketball Center will be located near Pauley Pavilion on the south end of the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Designed by award-winning architectural design firm Kevin Daly Architects, in partnership with globally acclaimed high-performance design firm AECOM, the Mo Ostin Basketball Center will include locker rooms, athletic training areas, a strength and conditioning facility, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms among its various amenities. In addition, the facility will incorporate several elements paying homage to the rich history of UCLA Basketball. PCL Construction of Los Angeles will serve as the general contractor for both the Wasserman Football Center and Mo Ostin Basketball Center. One of the largest contracting organizations in North America, PCL Construction recently completed the Edie & Lew Wasserman Building, a new research and patient-care facility at UCLA. Additionally, in 2013, PCL Construction served as the general contractor for the renovation of storied Pauley Pavilion, which was subsequently named a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s Facility of the Year Award.
Both projects and their corresponding campaigns to raise private funds are part of the $4.2 billion campus-wide UCLA Centennial Campaign. The UCLA Athletic Department aims to surpass its $260 million goal by 2019, securing more than $160 million since the campaign was announced publicly in May of 2014. The Wasserman Football Center and Mo Ostin Basketball Center directly address the Department’s primary Centennial Campaign objective: to create a financially sustainable future to build upon UCLA’s standing as the premier intercollegiate athletics program in the nation.
For more information or to become involved in either campaign, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302, or visit www.UCLAFootballFacility.com or www.UCLABasketballFacility.com.
Source publication: UCLA Athletics