Get ready for a professional-level sports field on campus.
USF St. Petersburg is partnering with the Tampa Bay Rowdies to upgrade the recreation field along Third Street S and between Fifth and Sixth Avenue S.
Field upgrades include: a resurfaced field, full-size goals, fresh Bermuda sod, stadium lights, security fencing and sprayed field markings, according to Student Body president Cody Boyer. Boyer announced the changes in a Facebook post on the student-run page, USFSP Know It All’s Guide. Boyer’s post was followed by an email from Regional Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska.
Boyer anticipates the field to be ready by the end of February.
The partnership with the Rowdies expedited the project and allowed work to start before the spring semester.
The Rowdies are paying for the bermuda sod and fencing, while the university Capital Improvement Trust Fund will finance the lights. Who will pay for the other improvements has not been determined yet, Boyer said.
Mike Manganello, the communications coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, said that the team has been partners with USF for some time.
“Our organization and the university are good partners,” Manganello said.
The Rowdies will hold some of their weekday practices on the field, Manganello said. The field is going to be shorter than the stadium, because there isn’t enough space to fit the actual dimensions for a full field.
The Rowdies often appear at Harbor Markets in front of the University Student Center and host “USF Night at the Rowdies” every season, which includes a student discount.
Capital Improvement Trust Fund committee approved the field renovation in 2014. Construction and other campus improvement projects are funded through the Capital Improvement Trust Fund, which is supported by $4.76 student fee. Student Life Director Matt Morrin chairs the CITF committee, which is composed of six students and six staff members.
Fitness and intramural coordinator Greg Haverlock said that campus recreation was involved in the discussions, but it was a CITF project. Haverlock said he hopes there will be a growth in intramural sports as students have been pushing for it for three years.
Current intramural sports schedules have been adjusted to accommodate the building of the field.
“We’re excited for the opportunities,” Haverlock said.
When asked about the Rowdies use of the field, Haverlock said that campus recreation’s biggest concern is the students’ access to the facility.
The field will go through some stages before it is fully upgraded. The field won’t be immediately operational, Boyer said, referencing the tentative February opening date.
The sod will need time to grow, and the lights are expected to come in after the sod, Haverlock said.
In their messages, Boyer and Dr. Wisniewska said the trees cut down for the field renovation are going to be replaced with new trees in another location, likely along Sixth Avenue S.
Including the new opportunities for intramural sports, ROTC will have access to the field, Boyer said.
For any further questions about the renovation of the field, contact Matt Morrin at mmorrin@mail.usf.edu or Cody Boyer at cboyer@mail.usf.edu. For information about reserving the fields, contact Greg Haverlock at gjh1@mail.usf.edu.
