| Subject: I found 1 Newsday article (inside this post) that references the Jets contributing heavily towards facilities improvements/upgrades at Hofstra ... for what it's worth. |
Author:
Ramalamadingdong
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 12:00:59 02/24/05 Thu
In reply to:
Ramalamadingdong
's message, "Giants pre-season at Rose Hill? The Giants have always had their camps in Albany to extend the reach of their brand upstate but with the Jets potential move to Manhattan (or maybe Queens) might it finally be in the Giants' best interests to defend their brand in NYC by bringing their off season to Fordham? I think you can make a great argument that Hofstra's upgraded facilities have come not only from the university's commitment to football but from the Jets using it as their offseason & pre-season home. Given Mr. Mara's Fordham ties, is it even the realm of the possible?" on 12:47:16 02/23/05 Wed
Jets Adding 2 Practice Fields
By Ken Berger
The once-quiet months of the NFL offseason are not so quiet anymore.
While spending much of their down time pressing their dream of a new stadium on Manhattan's West Side, the Jets have reaffirmed their commitment to Long Island.
As players participate in the offseason workout program and coaches plan for the upcoming draft, an aggressive renovation of the Jets' Hofstra training headquarters is under way.
In concert with the university, the Jets have begun clearing land for two more practice fields adjacent to Weeb Ewbank Hall, where they have trained since 1974.
Team president Jay Cross said the fields will be ready in time for the start of training camp July 22 at a cost to the team of more than $1.2 million.
Within the next two or three years, Cross said, the team will start building an ambitious addition to its football headquarters on the Hofstra campus, which has never been substantially renovated. Players will get new and expanded locker rooms, weight rooms and meeting facilities. An addition to the rear of the building will be done in retro architecture - a significant upgrade over the 1970s brown brick that adorns the existing structure.
"You'll look at it and say, 'Now that's what the New York Jets should have,' " team spokesman Ron Colangelo said.
While the team is still running cost studies on the building upgrade, Cross said, the project is the strongest sign yet that the Jets plan to keep their football operations at Hofstra for the long haul regardless of whether they are successful in getting a stadium built as part of the city's controversial West Side expansion project.
"It's a program that we would hope to roll out in the next two to three years," Cross said. "It's part of our long-term master plan."
Last summer, the Jets briefly entertained the possibility of moving their summer training camp from Hofstra to newer facilities at C.W. Post, but that is no longer a consideration. The team plans to honor its lease at Hofstra through 2008 and has an option to extend it for another 10 years, Cross said.
Colangelo said the team ultimately plans to move most of its business operations to a corporate office on West 57th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, where Cross and 10 other employees are currently hunkered down for what figures to be a tough fight to win approval for the West Side stadium. All football operations, public relations and ticket sales will remain at Hofstra.
The field project includes an artificial-surface practice field with seating for fans and lights for night practices during training camp each July. The field will double as a varsity soccer stadium for Hofstra when the Jets move inside their complex for regular-season practices. Adjacent to the stadium will be a new grass field.
It became painfully obvious last season that the team needs one grass field for training camp and another for the regular season. The Jets tried to practice on the same field all year, but it became so choppy and dangerous that it had to be resodded in the middle of the regular season.
The upgrades are part of an overall plan undertaken by Cross at the direction of owner Woody Johnson. Johnson also has paid for a massive upgrade and modernization of the team's locker room at Giants Stadium and a renovated media room where coach Herman Edwards holds his daily briefings.
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 