USF board approves $6M in additional funds to make way for new football stadium

TAMPA, Fla. - Before construction can begin on a new, 35,000-seat on-campus football stadium at the University of South Florida, the recreation fields currently occupying the site must move.

The university's board of trustees on Monday approved $6,175,000 in additional funding to relocate the fields from their current location on the northeast side of the Tampa campus to a research park positioned on the southwest side. 

READ: USF stadium renderings revealed after school cuts ties with construction company

The board's finance committee had previously approved allocating $9,000,000 for the project while more complete project estimates were gathered.

"The project has been bifurcated into two projects since some of the planned activities represent permanent infrastructure improvements for our research park," USF Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Condon told the board on Monday before the approval. "The remainder of the project is the actual relocation and replacement of the recreation fields."

The USF Sycamore fields consist of four multipurpose fields, two softball fields, and a restroom building. The board approved an additional $3.63 million on Monday for the relocation project, bringing the total to $8.13 million. 

The second project is a set of infrastructure improvements at the research park where the new recreation fields will be built, including a new fitness trail for USF students and staff to use. The board approved an additional $2.55 million on Monday, bringing the total for the project to just over $7 million. 

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Condon said the plan is to have the new fields completed on or around Thanksgiving 2024 and ready for use by the spring 2025 semester. University leaders released the first stadium renderings in December 2023 after completing the initial design phase.

The stadium is set to open in 2027 at a total price of $340 million.