USF football stadium construction still hasn't started, while the cost might go up
By Kiley Petracek
March 20, 2025 at 5:30 AM EDT
The cost to build USF's new on-campus football stadium — currently approved for $340 million — might go up.
The University of South Florida hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2024 to celebrate the construction of a new football stadium —but five months later, formal construction has yet to kick off.
With spring football practice beginning next week, the USF Board of Trustees still have to approve a guaranteed maximum cost for the stadium on the Tampa campus.
The board previously approved a $340 million budget.
However, with stadium costs increasing, board chair Will Weatherford has called it the "$400 million building," but is “well within what we can afford," according to The Athletic.
The funding will come from $200 million in debt, $50 million in donations, $31 million from capital funds and the rest from other limited revenue streams such as parking and suites, according to figures provided by USF.
The opening of the stadium was already pushed back a year after the initial announcement.
The stadium is expected to hold 35,000 people and is set to open in fall of 2027.
USF previously said The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence, an operations facility that will host football and women’s lacrosse teams across the street from the stadium, will open by August 2026.
With spring football practice beginning next week, the USF Board of Trustees still have to approve a guaranteed maximum cost for the stadium on the Tampa campus.
The board previously approved a $340 million budget.
However, with stadium costs increasing, board chair Will Weatherford has called it the "$400 million building," but is “well within what we can afford," according to The Athletic.
The funding will come from $200 million in debt, $50 million in donations, $31 million from capital funds and the rest from other limited revenue streams such as parking and suites, according to figures provided by USF.
The opening of the stadium was already pushed back a year after the initial announcement.
The stadium is expected to hold 35,000 people and is set to open in fall of 2027.
USF previously said The Tampa General Hospital Center for Athletic Excellence, an operations facility that will host football and women’s lacrosse teams across the street from the stadium, will open by August 2026.