This transformative space creates opportunities for our student athletes to connect to their passion, and it enhances the college experience for all students.
For nearly 20 years, Randy Casey has been trying to gain a home court advantage.
As Milwaukee Area Technical College’s athletic director and head men’s basketball coach, Casey has watched many of the college’s sports teams play and practice at Alverno College, about 20 minutes away from MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus.
On Wednesday, January 22, Casey and MATC took a giant step toward having a sports home of their own: The college signed a lease agreement for a shared-use athletic training facility in the Deer District. The facility will be built across from Fiserv Forum, only blocks away from the Downtown Campus.
“We have been trying to make something like this happen for so long,” said Casey, who started at the college in 2008. “We have been trying to make something like this happen for so long. I am really looking forward to that first game when we can step on to a floor that’s all ours. This is a game changer.”
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The athletic facility will have a 28,000-square-foot double-court gymnasium that seats up to 1,000 spectators, a fitness center, locker rooms, concessions, meeting rooms and other amenities.
The sports space will be on the ground floor of a $91 million, seven-story building that will include 269 market-rate apartments and a 28,5000-square-foot parking structure with 278 parking spaces. The project is being co-developed and co-owned by the Milwaukee Bucks and developers J. Jeffers & Co.
Representatives from MATC, the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Bucks and J. Jeffers & Co. gathered on January 22 in the Deer District to sign the lease agreement and celebrate the project, which is expected to break ground this summer. The new athletic facility could host its first games in the fall of 2026.
“This transformative space creates opportunities for our student-athletes to connect to their passion, and it enhances the college experience for all students,” MATC President Anthony Cruz, Ed.D., said at the lease signing.
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“MATC is extremely important to the city,” Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said at the event. “The college opens doors and adds enormous value to the economy. This facility will open even more doors and add even more value to the community. I’m ready to see more cranes in the sky.”
“We're thrilled that this development, in partnership with J. Jeffers and the city of Milwaukee, will continue to redefine downtown Milwaukee,” said Michael Belot, the Milwaukee Bucks’ senior vice president of business operations and chief real estate development officer.
MATC, the Bucks and J. Jeffers & Co. previously collaborated to develop Westown Green, the college’s student housing located on North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
“This project offered the opportunity to continue investing in Milwaukee’s Deer District and Westown neighborhoods in collaboration with our valued partners, MATC and the Bucks,” said Brian Loftin, chief development officer at J. Jeffers & Co. “This development will be a significant anchor for this area.”
The new facility will help MATC better serve current students, attract new students and expand the number of sports offered at the college, Casey said.
“Sometimes explaining to recruits that we play and practice off campus can be a hard sell,” Casey said. “We hope this facility will help that and build support for our athletic teams among students, faculty and staff.”
Right now MATC has nine sports teams with about 135 students participating. That could grow to 17 teams with 400 students, said Travis Mrozek, the college’s assistant athletic director. New sports could include esports, wrestling and men’s volleyball, he said.
Despite having to go on the road to play home games, MATC has had athletic success. The men’s basketball team won its first National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national championship in 2023. And a few months ago, the women’s volleyball team won its first NJCAA Region 4 district championship and earned its first trip to the Division II national tournament.
“We’re building champions, and we hope that with this facility we will continue that tradition,” Dr. Cruz said.
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
About J. Jeffers & Company: J. Jeffers & Co., headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a mission-driven real estate development and investment firm. With a core commitment to historic preservation, adaptive reuse, along with architecturally sensitive new construction, J. Jeffers & Co. strives to create value for both our investors and the communities we work in. The firm specializes in complex transformations and financial transactions, working to make a broader development impact that extends beyond the physical structure and includes increasing property values, creating jobs, and preserving historic structures.
About Deer District: Deer District is Milwaukee’s newest neighborhood and is redefining the city’s downtown. Anchored by the world-class Fiserv Forum, a preeminent sports and entertainment venue and home to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, the 30-acre Deer District is Milwaukee’s premier location for people to live, work and play, and is a hub for the city’s vibrant future. A year-round destination, Deer District features a myriad of dining and entertainment options in addition to Fiserv Forum including The MECCA Sports Bar & Grill, The Cluckery, The Beer Garden, Good City Brewing, Drink Wisconsinbly Pub, Fat Tuesday, The New Fashioned and Insomnia Cookies. Deer District also features a large plaza which serves as an ideal setting to enjoy live music, festivals, outdoor movies, fitness classes and other events. Additionally, Deer District includes GATHER at Deer District, the Bucks’ state-of-the-art training center, the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Science Center, the 550 Ultra Lofts apartment building and The Trade Milwaukee, a 200-plus room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, which are located directly across from Fiserv Forum. Future developments for Deer District include a FPC Live operated music venue, a five-story mixed-use development in partnership with J. Jeffers Co., and further commercial, office space and real estate. For more information on Deer District, visit DeerDistrict.com.