As part of IU's Bicentennial Strategic Plan to build an athletic district where all of the sports teams will play and practice, IU will open the doors to a new 17 million volleyball and wrestling arena as soon as the fall of 2018.
As of now, both teams share University Gym, which is situated far away from main campus and is incredibly difficult for students and fans alike to reach.
The new arena will be built directly next to Cook Hall, where the men's and women's basketball teams practice, on the corner of 17th and Fee.
This new arena will not only help with an increase in fans, but will also help with the accessibility of both programs.
Currently, the volleyball team has to shuttle the players to the gym in Technology Park for each practice. With the new location for the stadium, the players will be much closer to their practices and games. Not only will it be easier to get to the practice facilities, but with their excellence academy being held under Memorial Stadium, it will also make it much easier for the athletes to stay on top of their work.
The Vice President of Capital Planning and Facilities for Indiana University, Thomas Morrison, said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student in July that this has been a part of the university plan for years. He also talked about how much easier this new building will make the lives of student athletes.
“The student athletes are much closer to all their other services like athletic training, nutrition and academic services," Morrison said. "It’s also closer to where the students live, making it easier to get to.”
IU wrestling coach Duane Goldman had a similar sentiment when talking about the positive effects this new building will have on his team and the program.
“It’s something we’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” Goldman said. “University Gym has served its purpose, and there have been a lot of great memories there. But we’re really looking forward to being in this new arena. Not only the uniqueness and new aspect of it, but just being on the athletic campus and closer to the students and student athletes."
Morrison went through the developments in how IU expects to complete the building process.
“It’s been through the design approval," Morrison said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student in July. "We think it should take about twelve months. It’s not a very complicated building to build so we expect it to be done in the fall of 2018.”
With the construction under way, both wrestling and volleyball teams are looking forward to their next season in the new arena.
