05-20-2025, 11:24 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-20-2025, 11:47 PM by Top Row Dawg.)
Spec Towns Track gets a new home on S. Milledge Avenue — across from UGA’s softball and soccer facilities — next January. Football will get a few practice fields (next spring), and there will be parking as well where the current UGA track exists.
![[Image: university-of-georgia-carlton-street-ath...e-maps.png]](https://dailytrackpic.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/university-of-georgia-carlton-street-athens-ga-google-maps.png)
“What does it mean to football? For us, we’re one of only two programs in the SEC that do not have natural grass football fields side by side,” Smart said at the 2023 UGA athletics board spring meetings. “We’re on it continuously,” Smart said. “Why do we want to practice on grass instead of turf? It’s safer.” “The 2023 NFL P.A. came out with a study on natural grass versus artificial grass, and injuries are higher on artificial turf than natural grass,” Smart said. “So one of the big advantages of this is we’ll have the ability to have two grass practice fields side by side.”
![[Image: K243ZFFRPRUPQVKGL67LW5HCZI.jpg?auth=f66e...smart=true]](https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/K243ZFFRPRUPQVKGL67LW5HCZI.jpg?auth=f66efdaaacf8ecb50604aad5b3b975abf8851d9326909255be0477afdbbc235a&width=600&smart=true)
They broke ground on the track facility last August and now you can see the grandstand coming up and the track being formed. The amount of facilities in the area should lead to a unique setting. Georgia athletics director Josh Brooks said “Having soccer, softball, track and golf all in that same area will make it like an Olympic Village and really enhance that south Milledge (Ave.) area.”
![[Image: university-of-georgia-carlton-street-ath...e-maps.png]](https://dailytrackpic.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/university-of-georgia-carlton-street-athens-ga-google-maps.png)
“What does it mean to football? For us, we’re one of only two programs in the SEC that do not have natural grass football fields side by side,” Smart said at the 2023 UGA athletics board spring meetings. “We’re on it continuously,” Smart said. “Why do we want to practice on grass instead of turf? It’s safer.” “The 2023 NFL P.A. came out with a study on natural grass versus artificial grass, and injuries are higher on artificial turf than natural grass,” Smart said. “So one of the big advantages of this is we’ll have the ability to have two grass practice fields side by side.”
![[Image: K243ZFFRPRUPQVKGL67LW5HCZI.jpg?auth=f66e...smart=true]](https://www.ajc.com/resizer/v2/K243ZFFRPRUPQVKGL67LW5HCZI.jpg?auth=f66efdaaacf8ecb50604aad5b3b975abf8851d9326909255be0477afdbbc235a&width=600&smart=true)
They broke ground on the track facility last August and now you can see the grandstand coming up and the track being formed. The amount of facilities in the area should lead to a unique setting. Georgia athletics director Josh Brooks said “Having soccer, softball, track and golf all in that same area will make it like an Olympic Village and really enhance that south Milledge (Ave.) area.”
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