UCF unveils new details, timeline for football stadium expansion
UCF‘s proposed expansion of FBC Mortgage Stadium is scheduled to begin in December and is expected to be completed before the start of the 2026 football season.
UCF’s Board of Trustees documents revealed project details, including a proposed timeline. The BOT is planning a workshop/retreat on March 28 to discuss the updated plans and the project’s financials.
The Orlando Business Journal was the first to report the details.
According to documents, the Roth Tower renovations will include 1,236 club seats, 34 loge boxes, 34 skybays and 25 luxury suites. The project, which involves expanding approximately 58,000 square feet, is estimated to cost $88 million.
The club seating area will increase by 40% to approximately 16,000 square feet as it grows from 900 to 1,236 seats. Luxury suites will increase from 25 to 59 and the school plans to offer a level of “sky cribs” that will provide fans with an open-air patio suite with upscale food, beverage, beer and wine.
The expanded premium seating options will help the school generate $2.4 million in new revenue annually.
The expansion includes improvements to the ground-level entrances and additional elevators to support the increased number of occupants. New interior and exterior gathering spaces will be available year-round during football season and for special events. There will be additional restrooms and concessions.
The tower will also expand the press box and media spaces to “ensure UCF’s Football Stadium is best positioned to host and broadcast events and highlight Orange County and Orlando as a destination sports and competition.”
UCF has selected AECOM as its architect and Barton Malow as the construction manager for the project.
The stadium expansion is part of a new football campus, first proposed by UCF athletics director Terry Mohajir in 2021. The project includes the building of McNamara Cove and the Sharon and Marc Hagle Gateway, which will serve as an activation area on gamedays while providing an additional entryway to the football stadium.
It also calls for the building of the Taylor A. Gerring Football Center. This two-story standalone football operations building will house football coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a student-athlete lounge. Currently, the football offices are located in the Wayne Densch Sports Complex.
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The project coincides with UCF’s entrance into the Big 12, with additional fundraising for the athletic department’s Mission XII campaign.
Orange County commissioners approved $90 million of tourist development tax funds for the football stadium project in October. Once the Board of Trustees approves the measure, it will be signed and returned for final consideration before its June 2024 meeting. Once signed, the school will receive up to $10 million per year, starting in December.
While the project is funded through the TDT funds, UCF plans to use a $70 million bank loan and $30 million in bonds for short-term financing.
UCF expects revenues to increase after the project’s completion in 2027, coinciding with the school receiving a full conference revenue distribution. As a new member, the school gets just a partial revenue distribution of about $18 million annually until 2026.
According to the documents, design and development are projected to be complete by September, construction is expected to begin in December, and the project is expected to be finished sometime in the summer before the start of the 2026 football season.
The existing tower will remain operational during the 2025 football season, but construction will be active on the building’s north, south, and west sides during weekdays.
Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com