According to their website, USF is taking the first steps towards an on-campus football stadium by forming a committee and completing feasibility studies.
Michael Kelly, vice president of Athletics, and Jay Stroman, senior vice president of Advancement & Alumni Affairs and CEO of the USF Foundation, spoke at the Dec. 7, 2021 USF Board of Trustees meeting.
USF formed what it calls the Campus Stadium Planning Committee which is led by Kelly and Stroman.
"Four subcommittees have also been formed, each with different responsibilities, including identifying the scope and budget for an on-campus stadium, building a revenue and financing model, creating a communications and marketing plan and coordinating related legal issues."
The subcommittees have been meeting bi-monthly and started conducting focus groups that consist of students, faculty, staff, alumni and community leaders.
Officials said one of the committee’s first steps has been to assess the cost and location of a new facility.
The committee is considering five locations:
- Southwest corner of campus near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Fowler Avenue
- Intramural fields near Juniper-Poplar residence hall
- Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) site
- Fowler Fields, located next to the Patel Center for Global Solutions
- Sycamore Fields, near the USF Athletics district
“The idea behind an on-campus stadium is bigger than football. Certainly, it will have an impact on the football program and building there. In all truth, the stadium is about building an on-campus experience. It’s about the students. It’s about giving the alumni another reason to come back and experience campus once again with their kids and grandkids and a central location to have incredible memories that are made and remind people why USF is so great,” Chair Will Weatherford said.
Kelly told trustees that the stadium could be built by the 2026 football season but the start of the 2027 season may be more realistic.
