FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons are making significant upgrades to their facilities at their headquarters in Flowery Branch.
Falcons President Greg Beadles, who took over duties in 2023, held a press conference Wednesday to announce the team is building a brand new two-story strength and conditioning space and doubling the size of their locker room.
The new strength and conditioning room will be built on the south side of the team's HQ near the players' parking lot and will be twice the size of the current workout area the Falcons have now. The team will break ground on the new amenity as early as Friday– when the mandatory minicamp ends.
In total, the project is expected to cost around $25 to $30 million.
Beadles said the team's vice president of operations, Spencer Treadwell, had been with a group studying strength and conditioning rooms at football facilities around the country in order to get as many ideas as possible when building their new space.
The team took a look at UGA and Clemson's facilities in order to get some ideas, but said the decision to improve the facilities isn't based on trying to attract free agents.
"It's a little bit different with us that we don't have that same motivation and requirements, but we know that the players look and want to make sure that the owner and the team is taking care of the players and putting them first, and from that standpoint, we hope it's beneficial," Beadles said.
The goal is to have the new workout facility completed before training camp in 2024. When that is complete, the team is set to break ground on turning the old strength and conditioning room into the expanded locker room, which will break ground in late summer of next year and with a completion date expected by the early 2024 season.
It will be more than doubled and will have up to 90 permanent lockers in there. Beadles explained that right now they don't have enough lockers in camp for everybody there due to the growth of practice squad players and shorter-term IR slots, meaning players are able to train at team facilities quicker after injuries.
Beadles said he knew as soon as last summer that they knew they wanted to do the other two projects, calling them a bit overdue. The building was built on the Flowery Branch campus in 2000.
In addition to expanded lockers for players, the coaches' locker room will be nearly doubled as well. Beadles said that compared from back in 2000 to now in 2023, the number of people in a locker room is up by about 30%– meaning more coaches, staff and players than when the building initially opened.
The new strength and conditioning room will have much more space, including a second deck that will contain all of the cardio equipment and other areas that will make training more efficient, Beadles said. One of those areas includes a brand-new turf room for sled workouts.
Beadles also said the new facility will be aesthetically pleasing, with roll-up doors that should be open for about nine months of the year.
The Falcons have completed several multi-million dollar renovation projects at their HQ over the past few years:
- In 2020, they remodeled their training room in a big project and made some upgrades at their indoor facility, costing several million dollars during COVID when construction projects were harder to come by.
- In 2021, they built Emory Orthopedic and Spine Center which is open to the public but has been a "game-changer" for the Falcons when they need imaging or examination. Beadles said they used to have to drive guys up to Gainesville just to get an X-Ray or MRI.
- In 2023, the Falcons expanded their dining room capabilities and are still expected to add on to the kitchen in order to make more meals for the players as the summer goes on.
Beadles said the team has never entertained going anywhere else, explaining they have a great relationship with Flowery Branch and Hall County. He said spending millions of dollars "solidifies their commitment."
The Falcons will have their first open practice of training camp on July 27.