Football Sports

Memorial Herman Football Operations Center on track, on budget

Eddie Nuñez speaks on the progress of the Memorial Herman Football Operations Center at a press conference on Jan. 16, 2024, in Houston, Texas. | Emma Christensen/The Cougar

On Thursday, University of Houston officials met with media and donors to discuss the progress made on its Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center. 

Among the updates was that the facility remains on schedule, with construction on pace to be completed in late summer 2025. Additionally, the expenses are still within the intended budget of $140 million. 

“I’ve compared it with a lot of the schools in the Big 12. There’s no one who’s got a better facility than what we’re going to have,” coach Willie Fritz said.

The operations center, which spans three stories and covers 160 thousand square feet, will feature cutting-edge locker rooms, sports performance centers, academic centers, office spaces and a tunnel that leads directly to TDECU Stadium.

Its close proximity to the indoor and outdoor practice fields will make it easier for players and staff to navigate. 

“The facility is a state-of-the-art facility, it will give us a chance to be the best we can be in every aspect,”  athletic director Eddie Nuñez said.

Beyond the plethora of amenities, the new facility offers the players, it will also include new premium suites that fans can access during home games, expanding the maximum capacity of what will soon be Space City Financial Stadium.

“I’m waiting for the day when this 42,000-seat stadium is gonna be too small for us, and that day will come,” UH President Renu Khator said.

Until that day arrives, the Memorial Hermann Football Operations Center will seemingly complete the athletic district, with the school shifting focus to other projects.

As Houston football transitions out of the Athletics/Alumni Center later this year, the current facilities are expected to be repurposed for the other athletic programs on campus. 

“My number one priority will be a nutrition facility for all the student-athletes,” Nuñez said. “More than anything else, really address that weight room so we can make it conducive for all the other teams.”

Nuñez emphasized that the move will have ripple effects on the department and allow UH to do more with the current facility for all other teams.

“This isn’t just about football. This is about athletics,” Nuñez said. 

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