If all goes as hoped, the Guelph Gryphons football team will be playing on new artificial turf when they kick off their 2012 season.

The University of Guelph announced on Thursday that an anonymous $1.5-million donation is being made to pay for a new synthetic turf field at Alumni Stadium and to jump-start renovations to the stadium lightning, and to the track that surrounds the football field. The moves are part of the university’s athletics master plan to upgrade all of its athletic facilities.

The donation is “from a local family who wishes to remain anonymous,” said a university news release, and it’s the largest single donation to the U of G’s department of athletics.

The total estimated cost of the improvements will be $4.9 million, said the release. The university is seeking additional funding from private donors, grants and other sources.

The artificial field surface will also accommodate non-sporting events such as concerts and Orientation Week events, said Tom Kendall, the university’s athletic director, in the release.

Officials hope to have the new facilities ready for  thef all semester and for the Gryphons’ first home football game on Sept. 15.

The university’s athletics master plan also includes installing artificial turf on outdoor playing fields – a project that was completed last fall – and building and renovating a student fitness and recreation complex.

Student fees for athletics improvements approved in a 2010 referendum will generate about $75 million over 30 years.