USF board approves $340 million for on-campus football stadium

The University of South Florida’s Board of Trustees has finally approved a stadium plan to bring football games to the campus for the first time.

The stadium project costs $340 million, out of which $200 million has been funded through a 20-year fixed-rate loan, and the remaining amount of $140 million comes from the university’s funds. Planners believe that the five-tier stadium will increase game-day attendance and create new revenue opportunities.

The new stadium will occupy the current site of the Sycamore Recreational Fields and will necessitate moving intramural softball fields, a nature trail, and other outdoor spaces. Plans are underway to relocate the recreational fields to a temporary location.

“Our deal with the stadium currently, as you know, does not provide us concessions, does not provide us parking revenue, limited sponsorship revenue, and certainly no naming rights or premium revenue, so these are all the revenue sources we are eager to have in the new facility,” USF VP and Director of
Athletics Michael Kelly explained during a finance committee meeting on May 23.

Kelly says the stadium will be a recruiting advantage, which will lead to better on-field performance.

“We’ve got to put a winning team on the field and honestly, I think this is going to improve those odds for us to do that,” said Kelly.

With deconstruction of the Sycamore fields starting as early as this summer, USF hopes to break ground for the new stadium this fall and expects the Bulls to play their first on-campus game in the 2026 season.