Update from Greene: Auburn 'close' to hitting goal for football facility

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AUBURN, Alabama — The clock is nearing midnight in Auburn. The long-discussed construction of a football-only complex on campus is no longer a dream, and the project has reached a turning point behind the scenes, sources tell Auburn Undercover. Fundraising has or will soon hit the halfway mark of the estimated $60 million price tag for the facility, and administrators could initiate public discussions concerning the project with the Auburn University board of trustees June 7, those sources said. Auburn athletics director Allen Greene would not confirm whether his department will present plans to the board of trustees, and he also declined to provide specific financial details when reached Thursday by Auburn Undercover. Greene, however, did say he is happy with Auburn fans' support during the first large fundraising effort of his career at Auburn, and movement on the project could happen soon.

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“We’re really, really close and we’re in a really good spot with what we’ve been asked to do from a fundraising perspective,” Greene said. “The board, I think, is really interested and engaged with this project, and they want to have a better understanding of scale and scope of other folks in the [SEC] and to help us better understand and better plan as we move forward with our plans for our project.” Greene has made it a priority to raise funds and pitch the football-only facility to boosters and alumni since he replaced Jay Jacobs as Auburn’s athletics director in February 2018. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn pledged $2 million toward the facility in September, and several notable alumni have also promised sizable donations, Auburn Undercover has learned. That total is expected to eclipse $30 million soon, sources familiar with the fundraising said. Greene told Auburn Undercover in February he expected the timeline for the facility — from the design phase to its grand opening — to be completed in three years or less should the board approve all of the necessary steps along the way. Should that happen, Auburn will begin the largest construction project for the athletics department since Auburn Arena opened its doors in 2010. The basketball arena cost $86 million. The design phase for the football facility should encompass one year, and construction will require an additional year. Administrators in the athletics department grew increasingly confident in March and April as fundraising efforts ramped up under Greene, sources told Auburn Undercover at the time (March 27 and April 24).

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