 Charles Thompson, Jr. $16 Million Locker Room Upgrade Complete The football locker room is traditionally, a cramped, steamy space in the dim stadium catacombs where members of the media jostle to get a few quotes from a half-naked athlete. That's about to change. Welcome to the new state-of-the-art locker rooms at the Rose Bowl, a $16 million facility that, combined with a new media center, becomes the gold standard for players and reporters alike. For comparison's sake, here's what the new locker rooms offer compared to the old facilities: Square footage: New, 13,791, both home and visitor. Old: 5024, home; 2852, visitor. Number of coaches lockers: New, 22 home and visitor; Old,. 0. Training room square footage: New, 671 square feet for both home and visitor; Old, 391 home, 0 visitor. Head coaches office: New, 105 square feet for home and visitor; old, 0 square feet. Number of shower heads: New, 22 home and visitor; old, 7 each. Five game clocks and 10 television sets adorn both locker rooms. The media rooms enlarge from 1825 to 5676 square feet and provide up-to-date amenities. "We are excited about the new state-of-the-art locker rooms at the Rose Bowl," said UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero. "The Rose Bowl staff worked with UCLA every step of the way to ensure that these locker rooms rank with the best in college football. The Rose Bowl is the top college football stadium in the nation and now we have locker room to match." Rose Bowl officials believe that the locker room upgrade will be the first of many improvements that will modernize the stadium and increase its revenue stream. The facility currently operates at an annual net loss. The Rose Bowl Operating Company has embarked on a strategic plan that, if implemented, could insure that the stadium will be enjoyed for generations to come. Among areas to be addressed: improve access into and out of the stadium, possibly modifying or adding tunnels; replacing the seats; upgrading or replacing the outdated press box to created up-to-date working press areas and provide additional and improved luxury suites and club-style seating; upgrade the stadium scoreboard, lighting and sound systems. <Back> |
August 17, 2007