The Iowa Board of Regents approved a proposal for the construction of a 60,000 square-foot football facility on Wednesday, to house the ISU football team and its operations staff.

The facility — a two-story structure that will be built adjacent to the east side of the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility — will cost approximately $20.6 million, and will be completed in time for the fall 2012 football season.

The structure will house locker rooms and training facilities, as well as program operations, moving the program from its current home in the Jacobson Athletic Building and providing it with a space all its own. It will also feature a tunnel from the locker room to the playing field of Jack Trice Stadium.

“We have outgrown current space, and consolidating operations of the program in one place is important for the success of our football team and its student-athletes,” said ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard.

Construction is set to begin on the facility during the summer of 2011. Schematic plans for the facility can be found here.