Foster Auditorium’s hardwood court will be put to use for the first time since the building’s recent renovations at 1 p.m this Sunday when the women’s basketball team hosts Florida.

“Foster will open this Sunday for the women to finish their last three games of the season there,” said Jessica Pare, assistant athletic media relations director. “Then the volleyball team will start their season in the fall.”

Athletics Director Mal Moore said in a statement that he is extremely proud of this project and what has been accomplished.

“A lot of times, when you are doing projects, you have a vision, but it always ends up turning out better,” he said. “This building is no exception. Foster Auditorium holds great memories for a lot of people, and the athletic department is really proud to bring this building back to life.”

The renovation of Foster included restoration of the exterior, and renovation of the arena with new lighting systems, sound system, wood flooring, bleachers and sports equipment.

There are also new lounges and locker rooms, plus two concession stands were created along the east and west sides. The offices of the coaching staff were constructed on the first and second levels.

Women’s basketball head coach Wendell Hudson said in a written statement that the return to Foster will help build the team’s home court advantage.

“I have always said this is what this building should be,” he said. “We want opposing teams to dislike coming here. Knowing the history of the building and what happened here and to see it come into what it is today is something special. We are really looking forward to playing in here, and we are all really excited about Sunday.”

Courtney Pittman, project manager of Foster for Davis Architects, said it took them six months to do the design and to get the paperwork ready to start the bidding process for a construction company.

Pittman said concession stands complete with popcorn machines and nacho makers will be open for the Sunday game.

Davis Architects has been working on many projects with the University, including Bryant-Denny Stadium, the softball complex and phase three of the Science and Engineering Complex.

Pittman said her role in the Foster renovation project was to coordinate the efforts between her company and the University.

“I was also on site many times to coordinate the plans and make sure they got executed in construction,” she said.

She said she hopes that her firm will maintain a working relationship with the University.