WESTWOOD—The UCLA athletic department held the official groundbreaking ceremony for both the Wasserman Football Center and Mo Ostin Basketball Center on campus Thursday, August 27.

Less than two years removed from campaign announcements to raise private funds for the separate, comprehensive football and basketball training facilities, UCLA athletic staff members, players, boosters and fans joined together to celebrate breaking ground on the new

A ceremonial shovel-turning took place on the construction site just west of Spaulding Field, southwest of Pauley Pavilion, with Athletics Director Dan Guerrero, benefactors Casey Wasserman and Mo Ostin, head football coach Jim Mora, head men’s basketball coach Steve Alford, head women’s basketball coach Cori Close and other special guests.

“Beginning today, this home of champions begins its transformation into one of the most impressive hubs of intercollegiate athletic facilities in America,” said Guerrero. “This corner of campus in a matter of months will house two state of the art athletic facilities.”

“There aren’t very many facilities that will rival these kind of facilities on any professional franchise or on any intercollegiate campus,” said Guerrero.

The comprehensive, state-of-the-art Wasserman Football Center was designed by the award-winning architectural, planning, and interior design firm ZGF Architects LLP. It will boast approximately 75,000 gross square-feet of space and be home to a locker room, athletic training area, strength and conditioning facility, coaches’ offices, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms.

The state-of-the-art Mo Ostin Basketball Center will be located near Pauley Pavilion on the south end of the Los Angeles Tennis Center and will be approximately 35,000 gross square-feet.

Designed by award-winning architectural design firm Kevin Daly Architects, in partnership with globally acclaimed high-performance design firm AECOM, the Mo Ostin Basketball Center will include locker rooms, athletic training areas, a strength and conditioning facility, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms among its various amenities.

UCLA athletics posted a video to its Twitter account from the historic day.