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Michigan to build new $21M weight room

Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Michigan will build a new $21-million weight room for the football program after the school's board of regents approved the plan at a meeting on Thursday.

The 32,000 square-foot project will be built within the Bennie Oosterbaan Field House and will be used for a strength and conditioning facility. A 5,000 square-foot mezzanine level will also be added in the project.

The move was met with some criticism from other Michigan athletic teams that currently use the field house for practices and games.

"If the capacity of Oosterbaan is reduced by 40 percent, only one team can safely practice at a time, cutting our time in half, and preventing out teams from sufficiently defending our titles or effectively continuing and growing our program," men's rugby team President Nathan Fisher told Martin Slagter of MLive.com.

Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel admitted the validity of the concerns, but stressed a solution will happen for those displaced.

"There are concerns on all sides, I definitely understand," he said. "We'll continue to work to provide the best facilities for our varsity teams, for club sports, and for rec usage."

Funding for the project will come from Athletic Department gifts and resources.

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