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OCTOBER 2018 13 BY JEFF WHITE C arla Williams walked out of the Rotunda with a deep sense of gratitude. She was coming from a meeting at which the University of Virginia's Board of Visitors ap- proved a master plan designed to transform the athletics precinct on North Grounds. Simply put, UVA needs new facilities for its football program and the vast majority of its Olympic sports programs. The evi- dence of that need is clear, and Williams has launched one of the most ambitious initia- tives in the history of the department. "It's a lot on the front end of a tenure," said Williams, who began as UVA's athletics director in December, "but we aren't doing this just to do it. We are doing this because we must. The circumstances require us to act, and we view this as a tremendous opportunity." Williams knows more hurdles must be cleared before the master plan becomes reality. The estimated cost of the project, whose centerpieces will include a new foot- ball operations center and a new Olympic sports center, is $180 million. "We need to invest in our football pro- gram for the long-term stability of our entire department," Williams said. "However, it is also obvious that our Olympic sports that occupy University Hall and Onesty Hall need a new home." The master plan also calls for the con- struction of three natural grass practice fields — two for football, the other one for multiple sports — and the renovation of the McCue Center. Since it opened in 1991, the McCue Center has housed UVA's football team. It also in- cludes offices for athletics administrators and most of Virginia's Olympic sports coaches. Of the other schools in the ACC, all have renovated their football support facilities — or built new ones — since the McCue Center opened. "This project will enhance the brand of the institution while signaling to everyone in college athletics that football matters at Virginia," said Bronco Mendenhall, who's in his third season as the Cavaliers' head coach. In the meantime, Mendenhall said, "my job is to build momentum within our pro- gram leading into not only the construction but the completion of [the new facilities], so that becomes the tipping point and UVA football never looks back." Williams and her staff will work closely with the Virginia Athletics Foundation to raise funds for the project. She noted that VAF raised approximately $135 million for John Paul Jones Arena, which opened in 2006. "We want to make sure our sports pro- grams are a source of great pride for the University, the community and the Com- monwealth," Williams said. "These facili- ties allow us to create that type of long-term culture, and we know we have to raise the funds to make this a reality. "It's going to take a relentless and sus- Rendering subject to change COMPLETED ATHLETICS COMPLEX (2022) RENDERING COURTESY UVA