Liberty will expand its sports facilities, including the addition of 3,000 seats in the Vines Center, University Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. announced Friday. The Vines Center opened in 1990, and the school has significantly expanded since then.
Falwell said the Williams Stadium expansion is keeping up with Liberty’s overall growth pattern. Fall enrollment for residential studies this year is expected to reach 11,900. Liberty had just over 5,000 on-campus students just 10 years ago.
“This stadium project is a natural step for Liberty in its progression from a small Bible college to a major university,” added Falwell. “That was the goal from the beginning – to be for evangelical young people what Notre Dame is to the Catholics and what Brigham Young is to the Mormons. Athletics, and football in particular, was always a big part in that vision.”
Falwell added that he wants Liberty to have the athletic facilities needed to make the Flames competitive with the top Division I programs. Liberty is a member of the Big South Conference, which includes mostly small universities in Virginia and the Carolinas.
“Prospective student-athletes will see Liberty as a serious contender in NCAA Division I athletics,” continued Falwell. “We’ll be able to better recruit the top student-athletes in every sport. Improvements like this will help us convey the message that Liberty is achieving excellence in academics and in all of our facilities and programs. I think this will provide a major boost in both our athletics and academic recruiting. My father always said, ‘If it’s Christian, it ought to be better.'”
