UT To Build Athletic Facility On Kennedy, Tampa

The University of Tampa (UT) plans to build a new student intramural and athletic field and stadium.

In the midst of a $38 million residence hall project, the university will begin construction on the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex, a multipurpose field and 1,450-seat stadium located on the west side of campus, on the north side of Kennedy Boulevard.

Funded by a seven-digit gift from the Naimoli Family, the artificial turf field will be built by Tampa's R.R. Simmons as the new home of the UT men's and women's lacrosse teams, numerous intramurals and various sporting events. The project will also feature two spectator berms, team meeting rooms, a support building, restrooms, a concession area and appropriate parking.

“This is an exciting project that will support both UT athletics and our popular intramural program,” says Eric Cárdenas, UT's director of public information and publications. “It will be an attractive venue that will provide visibility for UT athletics while beautifying Kennedy Boulevard and the gateway to Downtown Tampa.”

Since the 1980s, Tampa's Naimoli family has been significantly involved with the university. Vince Naimoli, chairman and founding partner for the Tampa Bay Rays, is a chairman emeritus of the UT Board of Trustees and helped establish the UT Naimoli Institute for Business Strategy in 1999. The Naimoli family is also funding improvements to current campus softball and tennis complexes, the Naimoli and Young Family Tennis Complex and the Naimoli Family Softball Stadium, as well as two scholarships for a male and female athlete.

“This project has been in the planning stages for several years and really came into fruition in the past couple of years -- partly due to a generous gift from the Naimoli family,” Cárdenas says. “UT students, athletics and its fans will be excited to have an additional, all-weather field for intramurals and dub sports with great visibility.”

Cárdenas says the new complex and field will take some of the pressure off of the on-campus Pepin Stadium, allowing for flexibility. The project will also allow for the future construction of an academic building where the intramural field is now situated.

Now in final construction, design and timeline planning stages, the project is tentatively slated for completion by December 2012.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Eric Cárdenas, UT