UGA has announced a fundraising campaign focused on improving Foley Field. The Foley family donated $1M earlier towards this, but now there will be a specific focus on the reported other $9M needed to build the project. According to McGarity, once the project gets to $5M, the athletic department will match the money out of funds on hand.
Overall, it looks pretty good. There will be club seating, a field level club area, and improved fan amenities. There are plans to renovate and update the player's areas underneath, modernize/expand the press box, and increase the number of bathrooms.Don't look for the improvements to start before that additional $4M is raised. In fact, it would surprise me, absent another significant lead gift coming along, if we didn't break ground on this until after the 2015 season. If you want more on the department's philosophy on spending reserves, and why nothing will be done until that additional $4M is on the books, read all of Emerson's article.
The only real issue I have is that after this 'revival,' Foley will still be third smallest park in the conference, just in front of UK and Missouri. No way it can match the atmosphere of Alex Box, Baum, or Dudy Noble at just 3400 seats. Putting that aside, this will help get Foley on par, at least in the clubhouse and stands, with some of the other baseball facilities around the conference.
TD
See Also:
- Donor Brochure (from the Georgia Bulldog Club) includes more renderings of the renovations, including an elevations of the stands looking towards home from the right field side and up the left field line.
