It was a talk about opportunity: the opportunity to return and improve on what once was.

UAB Athletics Director Mark Ingram was the guest speaker on Thursday afternoon, as the Gardendale Chamber of Commerce met for its monthly luncheon. Ingram, who took the reins in Birmingham on May 1, 2015, spoke to a packed crowd for 23 minutes.

He highlighted several updates involving his program, including a contract to host next year’s Conference USA Softball Championships. He also spoke about upgrading athletics facilities throughout campus.

“We have taken an approach that we want to renovate or build a new facility for all of our sports teams,” said Ingram. “At UAB our students are going to get a world class education… US News World Report ranks the top 1,000 institutions in the world, and UAB ranks 147 on that list. That’s pretty strong.”

UAB is the only academic institution in the state mentioned in that poll.

Ingram then shifted his focus to the Blazers’ football program, which is days away from the launch of its return season.

A new 46,000 square-foot practice facility has, according to Ingram, improved the student-athlete’s experience in Birmingham. That improvement goes beyond football players, too. He mentioned that poor weather conditions no longer relocate football practice to different indoor facilities on campus, thanks to the new structure.

“The benefits of this are not just football related,” said Ingram. “This is really a tremendous asset for everybody. This is intended to be a multi-sport facility. It’s intended to help all of our student-athletes excel and all of our coaches recruit.”

The improvements made throughout UAB’s athletics programs have paid generously on the recruiting trail.

“Our coaches tell me that we’ve signed players that in the past we couldn’t even talk to, that wouldn’t even listen to us, and it’s a key focus for us to get Birmingham kids. There’s a lot of talent in this area,” he continued.

Another recruiting tool could be the construction of an on-campus stadium—a scenario Alabamians have entertained for years.

“The BJCC and the city of Birmingham are considering building a new stadium in the Uptown area,” said Ingram. “They want to, not only renovate the arena, but they want to renovate the convention center and they also are talking about building a new stadium. For years, they talked about a dome stadium. Now they’re talking about something more affordable, like an open-air stadium. If that happened, that would become our home.”

Erik Harris is the Sports Editor of The North Jefferson News. Email him at njnsports@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jeharris2.