Go-ahead for UCF stadium expansion

Article posted by Coliseum, July 15^th, 2024

Image: Aecom

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is pushing ahead with plans to expand Roth Tower at FBC Mortgage Stadium.

UCF said plans are for a 58,000 square foot expansion of Roth Tower, including 1,236 club seats, 34 loge boxes, 34 skybays and 25 luxury suites.

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university with its main campus in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida.

FBC Mortgage Stadium, also known as the Bounce House, is the home field of the UCF Knights of NCAA Division I FBS college football. The stadium opened in 2007, replacing Camping World Stadium (then known as the Citrus Bowl) in Downtown Orlando as the home of the Knights.

The stadium was designed for 48,000 capacity when it opened in 2007 and is designed for an expansion to 65,000 seats. The stadium underwent an $8 million renovation following the 2014 season.

Image: Aecom

The Florida Board of Governors recently approved the construction and financing vehicle to expand and renovate Roth Tower. The tower expansion is part of a larger development of UCF’s football campus.

The university previously announced plans for McNamara Cove, a recovery river and hydrotherapy pools for student-athletes; the Sharon and Marc Hagle Gateway, which will feature a tailgate zone and an additional entryway into stadium; and the Taylor A. Gerring Football Center, a new football administration and coaches building that will be part of the Hagle gateway.

The move to expand the stadium comes as UCF’s sports program has accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 Conference no later than 2024. The improvements are listed as a top priority for the university’s Athletic Department as it moves into the Conference.

The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, US. It consists of 10 full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for all sports.

The UCF’s future as a Big 12 school has huge business potential.

Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir said previously that the tower expansion is needed because FBC Mortgage Stadium is among the smallest in the Big 12, and because the extra capacity will help meet additional demand generated by the move to the new conference.

Mohajir said, “This is another exciting day in the trajectory for UCF Athletics. Not only will the new tower provide new resources for us, but this will allow us to expand the premium offerings and entry level seating options to maintain one of most affordable tickets among the power four conferences in college football.”

The Tower is scheduled to be completed by the 2026 football season.

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