UT to Dedicate New Athletic Field on Kennedy Boulevard
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa will dedicate the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex on Kennedy Boulevard on Friday, April 5 at 7:25 p.m. The first men's lacrosse game on the new field will follow immediately at 8 p.m., versus Rollins College.
The dedication will begin with a ribbon cutting at the front of the stadium. UT President Ronald L. Vaughn and other campus and community leaders will speak. Then, at 7:45 p.m., special guests, including lead donor Vince Naimoli, will be recognized with a special on-field dedication. The Spartans will then face off against the Rollins Tars at 8 p.m.
UT will also be recognized at the dedication by the Florida Urban Forestry Council for its moving a grand oak tree from the construction zone to a new park just west of the field.
Located on Kennedy Boulevard in UT's western edge of campus, the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex will support UT's popular intramural program and club field sports, as well as men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's soccer.
The 40-foot high stadium, including the adjoining berms, seats a total of nearly 2,000 spectators and is designed to blend with the historic Tampa neighborhood and campus buildings. The structure interior incorporates media and guest boxes, concessions, team meeting rooms, training spaces, referee rooms and restrooms.
The stadium is fronted by a plaza, open green spaces for tailgating and arrival activities, 200 parking spaces and a ticket booth.
The 90,000 square-foot field required is a synthetic playing surface, which gives students a year-round recreational venue. The field is lined to accommodate various sports, and can be converted to three vertical fields for concurrent practice and intramural play. A natural grass field has also been integrated to the east of the main field.
The complex also includes a one-acre, shaded park to the west of the field, adding campus green space for relaxation and recreation. The park, which helps beautify the Kennedy Boulevard corridor and adds natural beauty to the "gateway to downtown," connects to the green space and plaza toward the front of the complex.
The dedication - and the lacrosse game -- is free and open to the public.
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 105 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves about 7,000 students from 50 states and 130 countries. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.