Boise State announces athletic facility updates despite prior budget concerns

On Aug. 5, Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey announced that Boise State Athletics has partnered with AECOM’s sports practice to conduct a complete review of all current athletic facilities across campus. The review process will take place over the course of the next four to six months. 

AECOM is the industry’s only fully integrated sports consultancy. They specialize in facility assessments, economic impact, revenue analysis and full design services. 

“From a facilities standpoint, this is our first step in determining what our programs need in order to be successful, and to be able to recruit and compete at a national level across the board,” Dickey said. “From there, we will prioritize and chart the course for the future of Bronco Athletics. This process will position our programs for long-term success and assure we are providing the best student-athlete experience we can offer.”

According to Boise State Athletics, the company has worked with Bronco Athletics over the last decade on multiple projects. 

After conducting a complete review of the athletic facilities, AECOM will make suggestions about the facilities all while including student-athlete impact, the university’s budget and project timeline. 

“Boise State is a national brand, and I am excited to partner with a national firm that understands who we are and where we want to go,” Dickey said. 

Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, furloughs and compensation reductions were implemented for Boise State Athletics staff with an annual salary of more than $40,000.

According to an emailed press release, these measures would result in savings of roughly $1.8 million for the department. 

Along with furloughs and salary reductions, the Boise State baseball and swim and dive programs were cut before the school year began. This decision was anticipated to reduce the university’s budget by $2.3 million according to former Athletic Director Curt Apsey. 

“The university had already been working closely with athletics to create a sustainable budget,” said Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp in a video conference after the announcement on July 2, 2020. “The pandemic has made a challenging financial situation unsustainable. Ultimately, the reduction of the number of sports in which we compete allows Boise State a better chance of remaining competitive at the highest level and provides a more realistic roadmap to a sustainable future for the university and athletic department.”

Since then, Boise State Athletics has exhausted multiple ways for the department to bring in money. These include a push for ticket sales during football season, alcohol sales within Albertsons Stadium and asking for donations from sponsors and members of the community. 

Just over a year later, Boise State Athletics announced their plan to upgrade athletic facilities across campus which ultimately will introduce new costs. No set amount has been estimated for this project, but the department will begin implementing plans in December 2021, according to Dickey.