Why USF Needs Their Own Stadium

The time is right for the University of South Florida to splinter off and play in their own stadium.

Since starting the program in 1997, the South Florida Bulls have played their home games at Raymond James Stadium, which was built primarily for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ NFL franchise.

For 21 years and four head coaches, the Bulls were a natural fit, being the fourth pillar of Florida’s college football scene. But given the program’s popularity and the university’s expansion, it’s time for them to build their own home stadium.

USF owes a lot of its growth in the last quarter century to the team, given the revenue it contributes to the school and how they were able to expand within its grounds. Many new multi-story buildings—research facilities, dorms, a state-of-the-art practice facility, and the expansion of other NCAA sports programs—have allowed the school to carve out a bigger identity alongside its older brothers University of Florida, Florida State University and University of Miami.

Unfortunately, when watching the home games you wouldn’t know how far USF has come since they’re “renting” from the Bucs. Much of Raymond James Stadium has the team’s specific fixtures and architecture, from the pirate ship, the flags, the sidelines and even the end zones. There’s no hiding it, especially when the Bucs play the very next day.

The Bulls are constantly on the cusp of greatness before a late season slide often slows them down to a lesser bowl.  The popularity of the team has never waned and given the often sellout crowds, the Bulls need to move some place closer to the main campus.

Here are some suggestions for placement of the new stadium:

• University Mall – A mainstay since the 1970s, the shopping center has seen much better days, especially before online retailers like Amazon became the preferred stores for millennials. Many major department stores suffered huge losses and ended up abandoning the mall. Losing another anchor store will be a death knoll. Its fate has been discussed back and forth, and the most recent proposal is an office facility. Considering how much more revenue a stadium can generate, it would be a better investment with far more foot traffic. Nearby businesses would also benefit.
• Near Yeungling Center – There’s existing parking on the arena grounds, and there’s also prime real estate that was built by Pizzo Elementary before the main entrance to campus. In addition to parking at the Yeungling Center, there’s also parking all along LeRoy Collins Boulevard, including a garage.
• USF St. Petersburg – Downtown St. Petersburg is quite a popular hangout for the growing campus. There are already existing sports facilities in the area with Tropicana Field and Al Lang Field. A waterfront stadium could bring more business to the immediate area, and location wouldn’t be an issue given how football is king in Florida. Parking garages nearby similar to Amelie Arena’s set-up in downtown Tampa could further alleviate parking issues in downtown St. Pete.

Where would you build the new Bulls stadium?