Sports

BC unveils $52.6 million training facility

CHESTNUT HILL — The silence spoke volumes.

When I asked Boston College head football coach Steve Addazio if any potential recruits in the past had verbalized that they chose not to come to to BC because of poor facilities, he paused for 11 seconds before answering.

"The reason I'm hesitating in answering that?" said Addazio. "I'm not sure that guy is the right fit for us if that's the case. We're not just about facilities here. We're about our academics. We're about the integrity of the school. We're about the community of the school. We're about the Jesuit education."

"Yes," he finally conceded as he answered the question directly. "But I'm not sure that marries to who we want to recruit. Having said that, who we want to recruit has choices like us that do have these facilities and there, yes, you fight that."

Not any more.

The Fish Field House, named for John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction Company, was unveiled to the public Wednesday afternoon. A current Trustee and Board of Regents Chairman at Boston College, Fish helped oversee the construction of the $52.6 million facility that will primarily house the football team, but will be available for use by more than 10 teams at BC throughout the year.

"This is a game-changer," said BC athletic director Martin Jarmond. "As you can see, the Fish Field House is coming along and it's going to be ready on-budget, on-time. We're excited. This is just the beginning of what we're doing with our whole athletics program. This is an important project for our student-athletes to be able to come inside... not just with football, but 10 of our other sports will be able to utilize this, as well. It's big. It's big."

The building has more than 115,000 square feet of space and includes a full field featuring the same type of astro turf that was installed in Alumni Stadium in 2017. A video board that spans 31-feet by 18-feet will allow the staff to immediately play back video captured during practice for instant analysis and coaching.

"What this does is give you an opportunity to run things in a first-class fashion," said Addazio. "For the benefit of our players development, for their safety, for their health. And of course, the statement that this makes of where we're headed and what we want to do with all of our athletic programs, which speaks directly to recruiting."

A state-of-the-art weight room, initially dedicated exclusively to the football team, is also included, along with a natural grass outdoor practice field that spans what used to be Shea Field along Beacon Street.

"With this facility here, the physical part of it helps us with what we already have, which is the unbelievable educational part," said Addazio. "We can come together stronger on some levels than some people who might not have the #3 business school behind them."