BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Athletics celebrated the groundbreaking of the WKU Soccer/Softball Complex on Tuesday afternoon that will house both teams during games and training. Construction is set to begin on the facility in the coming weeks.
The ceremony included comments from WKU Director of Athletics Todd Stewart, WKU President Timothy Caboni, WKU Softball head coach Amy Tudor and WKU Soccer head coach Jason Neidell.
Both teams currently have locker rooms away from their fields. The soccer team's locker room is in Houchens-Smith Stadium and the softball team's locker room is in E.A. Diddle Arena.
"The groundbreaking ceremony today for our new Soccer and Softball Complex makes August 30, 2022 a historic day for these two programs," said Stewart. "Following the completion of this facility, everyday moving forward will be impactful because these two programs will have a great facility they can call home."
The new building will feature locker rooms for both teams as well as office space, athletic training rooms, meeting space, visiting locker rooms, dressing rooms for officials and an indoor training space.
"Today is a very special day for our University," said Caboni. "We commemorate the groundbreaking for our complex that, as Todd said, is critically needed by our soccer and softball athletes. Especially considering the excellence they create on our campus. This will be a space that provides them the accommodations and the resources they deserve to practice, to compete and most importantly to win and represent WKU."
Tudor was a member of the inaugural WKU Softball team in 2000 and has been the head coach of the program since 2013.
"I was here on the very first team and I can remember we had to practice at Basil Griffin Park," said Tudor. "When our field was being constructed, we actually were able to park over and practice here in the spring of 2000 and it was just an exciting day. We didn't think about a locker room…We were just excited to be the very first team here. To have this now in place, it's going to be a different world for us."
Neidell is the only head coach in WKU Soccer history and has been at the helm of the program since 2001.
"I got here 22 years ago and I've invested the better part of my adult professional life here," said Neidell. "I am personally grateful for the return on the investment in our program and our kids. In athletics, you're always building something. You're building your team, you're building your culture, sometimes you're building momentum. In this case, we're building an amazing building. It truly means a lot to these young ladies behind us, both in softball and soccer, to have this opportunity to be a part of the growth of our sport and the growth of the Bowling Green community."
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