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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does USF want its own stadium?
An on-campus stadium will be transformational for the ßÙßÇÂþ»­ in ways that extend well beyond sports. While it will have a tremendous impact on the Bulls football program, the stadium will provide a unique, vibrant, shared campus experience that will contribute to the culture, spirit and connectedness of the university, not just during fall football games but throughout the year. It will provide students, staff and faculty a place of their own to gather and share their passion for USF while giving alumni and community members a compelling reason to return and experience the beauty and energy of our ever-evolving campus. The facility will be a place where incredible memories are built across generations and reminds us why we cherish the university.

How would a stadium support the mission of the university?
In addition to benefitting USF Athletics, we see a wide range of ways this project can support the mission of the university.

We believe a stadium will:

• Raise the overall visibility of the USF brand
• Transform the student, faculty, staff and alumni experience on campus to create an even stronger sense of community
• Serve as a powerful recruiting tool for students, faculty and staff
• Open more opportunities for alumni and donor engagement that support programs outside of Athletics
• Provide a new meeting and event space on campus
• Deepen the connection between the Tampa Bay region and USF

How will you use the stadium beyond six or seven football games per year?
We envision a facility that we can use throughout the year beyond our home football games. The stadium will also serve as the home of the USF women’s lacrosse team, which will likely host approximately 10-12 games per season.

There may be opportunities to host concerts and other events such as graduation ceremonies, and students can use it for intramurals, club sports or fitness classes.  We continue to explore options to use the facility for academic and student success initiatives. There may be other uses as well, depending on the scope of the project.

It will give our students who live on or near campus an opportunity to walk to the stadium and cheer on our Bulls. It will give our thousands of passionate alumni a chance to come back to our campus and deepen their relationship with the university. And it’s also a chance to grow our support from the Tampa Bay community at large and build lifelong connections to USF.

Where would the facility be located on campus?
The stadium will be located on the east side of the Tampa campus known as Sycamore Fields. The site, which is currently used for intramural sports, is within the USF Athletics district and sits near its operations facility and new Indoor Performance Facility. There is also a historical connection, as USF football used the fields for practice when the program was first formed in the 1990s. The location allows for strong connectivity with other important parts of campus, as it’s positioned close to student housing and parking, with multiple options for tailgating space.

The location aligns with the vision of USF leaders for a stadium to enhance the overall campus experience by giving students, faculty, staff, alumni and the surrounding communities a place to come together, develop deeper relationships with the university and build memories across generations.

What is your timeline for this project?
The goal is to have the stadium open in fall 2027.

The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence, an operations facility that will be located adjacent to the new stadium, is scheduled to be ready by August 2026.  The state-of-the-art building will serve as the daily home for the football and women’s lacrosse teams. 

How large of a seating capacity are you seeking?
The full scope of the project is still under consideration as the design phase is ongoing.  We currently estimate building a 35,000-seat stadium.

Will you build it in a way that seating capacity could be expanded in the future?
Yes, an option for future expansion will be incorporated into our planning.

Where would everyone park for football games?
We are considering existing parking and traffic flow in the site selection process and project planning. Most home football games are played on Saturdays when more parking is available on campus than during the week.

What is the estimated cost of the new stadium?
The current estimated cost of the project is $340 million.

Which funding sources will you use?
In June 2023, the USF Board of Trustees authorized the USF Financing Corporation to issue a debt of up to $200 million that the university will repay from several sources, including operating revenues from the stadium and other revenues generated by USF Athletics. USF has also identified the other funding sources on the project, including capital gifts ($50 million, of which $43 million is already raised); the Capital Improvement Trust Fund ($31 million); contingent cash contribution from the sale of educational broadband service licenses ($25 million); administrative overhead from auxiliary expenditures ($15 million); auxiliary funds ($11.5 million); and proceeds from a 2017 Federal Communications Commission auction ($8 million). 

The Florida Board of Governors approved USF’s financing plan in September 2023, signaling state-level support for the transformational facility.

How is the community supporting the project?
In September 2023, USF and Tampa General Hospital (TGH) announced a $25 million gift from TGH – the largest in USF Athletics’ history -- to name the USF Athletics District and the Center for Athletic Excellence, an operations facility that will be located adjacent to the stadium. It will provide clinical behavioral health services, including assessments, treatment, therapies, career mentoring and more, and the services will support the needs of both the USF community and the broader Tampa Bay region. The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence also will serve as the daily home for the football and women’s lacrosse teams. It will feature state-of-the-art locker rooms, sports medicine and treatment spaces, strength and conditioning rooms, coaches’ offices, training rooms, nutrition spaces and hydrotherapy pools for optimal performance and recovery.

In December 2023, USF announced a $6 million gift from the USF Federal Credit Union to name the walkway that will lead into the main entrance of the new stadium and will serve as home to the football team’s traditional Bulls Stampede pregame walk from the buses into the stadium.  USF will create signature signage at the entrance to the newly named USF Federal Credit Union Champions Way, located off USF Genshaft Drive.

In March 2022, USF announced the first major gift for the project, a $5 million gift from Frank and Carol Morsani.  In April 2022, USF announced a $5 million gift from Jeff and Penny Vinik to support the stadium.

As of December 2023, the university has already reached $43 million raised, or 86 percent of its $50 million philanthropic goal for the project.

Are there revenue streams that USF is missing by not having its own stadium?
Yes. We collect very limited parking and suite revenue in our current stadium contract and no revenue from concessions or naming rights. We also share the in-stadium sponsorship opportunities and revenue from the digital signage in the arena bowl and spend money to rebrand the stadium walls, tunnels, field and club areas each game.

How can I support the project?
Fundraising opportunities will be announced soon. In the meantime, to receive regular updates and find out how you can be involved in this historic project.

What will the stadium look like?
USF released the first renderings of the new stadium in December 2023.  You can view them here.  The initial renderings are only conceptual and will evolve as the design process continues and more detailed design elements are finalized.  

What features are included in the new stadium?

The following are among the features of the new stadium:

• An east-west build to help maximize shade for daytime events.
• A dedicated section for students in the west end of the stadium that includes a design that is unique to USF featuring bull horns and amenities that will cater to the student experience.
• An open concourse around a majority of the stadium that provides views of the field, even as fans are walking to concession or restroom areas.
• A large tailgating space on the north side of the stadium near a new champion’s walk that leads into the main entrance of the stadium and serves as home to the traditional Bulls Stampede pregame walk from the team buses into the stadium.
• A variety of premium seating options, including suites, loge boxes and club areas.

The design incorporates the feedback the university gathered through listening sessions with dozens of stakeholder groups, such as students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.  More specific distinctive stadium features will be shared as the design process moves forward, including the expected release of more detailed stadium renderings in spring 2024.