Wisconsin’s biggest athletics project has reached a major checkpoint, and the timing could hardly be better for a program about to open fall camp.
The Kellner Family Athletic Center, a $285 million build designed to support all 23 Wisconsin sports, has completed its first phase. At the center of the facility is a full-length indoor football field, with a track wrapping around it and a collection of support spaces built nearby, including a weight room, coaches offices, a dining hall and a sports medicine center.
The project is the largest in the history of Wisconsin Athletics, and it has been fueled by major donor support. Ted and Mary Kellner and their family committed $20 million, while a broader fundraising push brought in $90 million in donations over the last two years.
The facility was first unveiled to the public in October 2023 and hit this latest milestone on Tuesday. It is being constructed by JP Cullen and sits next to Camp Randall Stadium.
At Big Ten Media Days, head coach Luke Fickell pointed to the shifting direction of the program, saying, "We're going in a different direction. There are a lot of things that have changed, even within the last year, in our program,"
Ted Kellner said in a statement in August 2025, "The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been such a major part of my family's life, teaching us lessons and allowing us to be part of something bigger than just sports," He added, "To be able to make a life-changing impact on current and future student-athletes, who will be tomorrow's leaders in society - we couldn't be more proud to support and humbled by the honor."
The next stage of construction will focus on developing the indoor space around the football field. According to the project’s published timeline, completion is expected in July 2027.
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