FLOWERY BRANCH — There have been a lot of changes for the Falcons since last season ended. A new head coach in Raheem Morris, a new quarterback in Kirk Cousins and $45 million in upgrades to the training facility at the team’s headquarters.
The team renovated and expanded the cafeteria, equipment room, locker room and weight room.
The construction started at the end of the 2023 season in January. The Falcons had to hold their training programs in April all indoors.
Fast forward to today, and the facility is operational. The wait seemed to be worth it, with a two-story strength-and-conditioning center, new locker rooms and a fully stocked dining hall.
Strength-and-conditioning center
The center covers 14,135 square foot (6,905 square feet larger than the original center) and two stories. Now, this isn’t any gym at a college campus.
The center has 14 full-cage racks equipped with iPad technology that measures bar speed and peak velocity of reps, a 34-yard turf strip and cardio equipment on the second floor.
The glass walls that open up to the field give natural lighting and a view of the trees.
“Just everything is new, and we have more space,” offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn said. “There is more space. So, that’s the biggest thing.”
Locker room
At 6,390 square feet, the locker room is almost 90% larger than its original size of 3,380 square feet and has 90 permanent lockers installed, and this area isn’t merely for lockers to put away gear.
Nearby is a barber shop for players and coaches and an updated 5,052 square-foot equipment room for cleats, helmets and pads, etc. which almost looks like a Nike retail store.
“The barber shop is eyebrow-raising,” Cousins said. “We’ve got three chairs. Taking up a lot of square footage. We have our priorities here. Clearly getting a haircut is a big deal. Falcons culture, you better be lined up because the amount of square footage we have devoted to haircuts. You better come in clean.”
Each locker comes with dryers to use for helmets and cleats as well as space to hang clothes that is built into the back of the seats for efficient storage.
Dining hall
The dining hall is the space with the most character.
The walls wrapping the hall are filled with photos of some notable Falcons players and coaches. The walls also include tributes to members of the Ring of Honor. The dining hall provides a hot buffet, grill and salad bar, ice cream station and fully stocked snack area.
“I couldn’t ask for a better set-up; the guys love it,” defensive lineman Grady Jarrett said. “It gives us a common place to hang out and encourage us to hang together.”
As the team prepares for the season, the new and improved renovations give the team something to look forward to every day.
“It’s very nice,” Cousins said. “Cafeteria is outstanding. Like you said, the locker room’s great. That’s where a lot of guys will hang. Weight room is outstanding. It’s just a good-looking facility. It’s a privilege to come to work here.”
