Construction of a new $17-million indoor practice center will begin later this year, Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross announced Tuesday.

The football team will be the primary tenants of the 87,000 square foot facility, but all athletic programs will utilize the center.

“This practice center will give our football program, and our other programs, the opportunity to prepare, practice and play amongst the best in the nation, while providing the best possible environment for the development of all of our special student-athletes,” Gross said in a SU Athletics press release. “Like the Carmelo Anthony Center has helped our men’s and women’s basketball programs compete at the highest level, this critical new center will continue our football program’s momentum, and is absolutely essential in our pursuit of top-level student-athletes and conference championships.”

The facility will be built at the site currently occupied by the Joseph Vielbig Outdoor Track Stadium. The location of the new practice facility also means a new track facility will be built on South Campus, merging with the current site used for field events.

The center’s construction represents the fourth phase of improvements being made to the Orange’s football facilities. Syracuse previously renovated the football wing at Manley Field House, built a new strength and conditioning facility and practice fields, and renovated the sports medicine center.

“This commitment will give our student-athletes a first-rate complex to utilize as we move to the ACC and compete for championships,” football coach Scott Shafer said in the press release. “With our outstanding staff, this building puts us on par or ahead of our competitors in the new league, and will attract and help us develop the kind of outstanding citizens and student-athletes required to win at this level.”