USC officially announces plans to upgrade football, athletic facilities
Last week, USC President Carol L. Folt released her revised vision for athletics facilities to the USC Board of Trustees. The future is exciting for Trojans’ fans.
“Every day our exceptional, hard-working student-athletes come here to pursue their dreams. We want to provide the facilities and support for those dreams to come true,” Folt said, per Grayson Schmidt at USC News. “These exciting new plans will benefit Trojan athletes across all 21 programs.”
USC athletics has recently seen historical success. Last season, the Trojans’ women’s beach volleyball team won its third-straight national championship. On the gridiron, USC quarterback Caleb Williams brought home the Heisman Trophy, the first Trojan to win the award since Matt Leinart in 2004.
Folt’s plan to reward the athletics programs includes building USC football a new performance center, which will reportedly include a new locker room, multiple player lounges, a recovery hub, nutritional support, sports sciences services, a weight room, a training room and an equipment room.
Additionally, the USC women’s soccer and lacrosse teams will receive a new facility called Rawlinson Stadium. Prior to the announcement, these programs have been playing in the LA Memorial Coliseum.
Finally, Folt intends to upgrade Redeaux field, the Trojans’ baseball’s stadium. Changes include a brand-new press box, coaching and support staff offices, and a team meeting space. The move comes along with plans for the Trojans to join the Big Ten in 2024.
Folt incorporated this consideration into her goals for the innovation.
“The three primary objectives of the vision are to position USC Athletics for success with world-class facilities, promote gender equity in support of Title IX and maximize space use through innovative planning. Trojan student-athletes will soon have state-of-the-art facilities commensurate to their recent achievements and to USC’s upcoming integration into the Big Ten Conference, all within the existing footprint of the University Park Campus,” Folt said, according to USC News.
Folt has plenty of room to work with, considering the university covers 226 acres. The 72-year-old president took over as head of USC in 2019. No dates regarding construction have yet been specified.