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FIU approved for new football stadium

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Florida International took the penultimate step to securing approval for its football stadium on Friday morning when the FIU Board of Trustees gave approval for the Golden Panthers to build a new FIU Stadium.

The next step occurs in January 2007 when FIU is expected to receive the go-ahead from the Florida State Board of Governors to break ground on the stadium.

''It was a historic day for FIU,'' said FIU athletic director Rick Mello. ``This stadium will really assist us in delivering the intangibles that football was intended to deliver. That is building affinity with students, alumni, fans and faculty and this stadium will give us the opportunity to attract the top recruits we need. With the new stadium I see there is no reason why this program shouldn't be a perennial top 25 program.''

Once the board of governors approves the stadium, FIU is expected to break ground on the stadium in March and the stadium is expected to be ready for the team's home opener against South Florida in 2008. The total cost of the stadium is expected to be $54 million.

The Golden Panthers will play their home games in the Orange Bowl next season.

Mello said the stadium, which will be horseshoe shaped with the east end zone being the open end, will initially seat 20,000 and eventually 45,000. The stadium will have 14 luxury suites and a club level with 1,400 club seats. There will also be a video scoreboard.

The stadium will be built in four phases. Phase I will be the stadium itself.

Phase II will include a welcome center on the north side of the stadium which will house all student services which are currently in the on-campus Perry Building. The welcome center will serve as the facade of the stadium, similar to Florida State's Doak Campbell Stadium.

Also in Phase II will be the construction of a football building encompassing the Golden Panthers locker room, clubhouse and coaching staff's offices. Phase II is expected to be completed by 2009.

The current football fieldhouse which serves as the locker room for both FIU and its opponents will remain as the visitor's locker room and officials dressing room.

Phase III of the stadium will finish the open end of the stadium and Phase IV will deal with the construction of the upper decks of the stadium.


I am so pissed about this entire dome thing…. Build us something now….. or loose us forever….. :'(

Peyton
1999
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FIU approved for new football stadium

To be honest, this may have come at a good time. I am hoping the FAU BoT will want to "keep up with the Joneses". No stadium will definitley make FAU the odd-ball of D1A football. Nothing but a high school stadium (Boca High) within 50 miles. There will be no where else to play in less than 2 years.

FAU - THE REAL SLEEPING GIANT
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FIU approved for new football stadium

I still think the phased approach they are using is the right way to go but then again their campus isn't in Boca where they have to jump through a million hoops just to scratch their ass.
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FIU approved for new football stadium

This news is absolutely ridiculos…I am beginning to think that I picked the wrong school. Are we just dealing with a bunch of complete incompetent idiot's? How is it that crappy old FIU is just flying pass our program? If we do not get approval…we need to find out how we go about getting rid of the B.O.T.!!!! I too am really pissed off now.
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FIU approved for new football stadium


faudiehard said

This news is absolutely ridiculos…I am beginning to think that I picked the wrong school. Are we just dealing with a bunch of complete incompetent idiot's? How is it that crappy old FIU is just flying pass our program? If we do not get approval…we need to find out how we go about getting rid of the B.O.T.!!!! I too am really pissed off now.

First of all you have to remember that the stadium they are now using was built by city and county money for local high school football. It was basically handed to them. They did some renovations on it. The actual permanent seating still is only 7500. the other 10,000 are temp seats. This renovation is only going to cost I think $34 mil which they already have figured out how they are going to pay for. It is NOT going to cost $54 mil like the article says. That total cost includes a student center in addition to the stadium. Much of the money is coming from student activity fees. When you have 12,000 more students than FAU has, that adds up to alot more money. Other money is coming from ticket sales and game revenue (OOC games).

The dome, dorms, retail space and hotels are a much bigger commitment than renovating a high school stadium.

FAU - THE REAL SLEEPING GIANT
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FIU approved for new football stadium

faudiehard…I agree if they don't approve a stadium in Nov. we have a very big problem but let's not throw in the towel yet. It's Friday, go have a cocktail, relax. You went to the right school, you'll see.

GO OWLS!
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FIU approved for new football stadium

Good call on the cocktail Dusky. Owlcoholics, man I couldn't agree more about the phase in approach. UCF is doing it that way. Theirs is a 45K stadium and is close to the 50 or 60 mil mark. I think the final phase of the UCF stadium is right at 65 or 75 K seats. I had an article but can't find it. The phase in is adding not just seats but press boxes, sky boxes, other office and athletic facilities. I like there plan.

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FIU approved for new football stadium


illinoisowl said

faudiehard said

This news is absolutely ridiculos… ]

First of all you have to remember that the stadium they are now using was built by city and county money for local high school football. It was basically handed to them. They did some renovations on it. The actual permanent seating still is only 7500. the other 10,000 are temp seats. This renovation is only going to cost I think $34 mil which they already have figured out how they are going to pay for. It is NOT going to cost $54 mil like the article says. That total cost includes a student center in addition to the stadium. Much of the money is coming from student activity fees. When you have 12,000 more students than FAU has, that adds up to alot more money. Other money is coming from ticket sales and game revenue (OOC games).

The dome, dorms, retail space and hotels are a much bigger commitment than renovating a high school stadium.


The new stadium requires tearing down the track around the field, tearing down the existing seating, and build around the new configuration….Most, if not all of it on FIU's land (around 90% of the stadium, after FIU moved the stadium to its current location) I do agree with you that the $34 million is the cost of the first phase of the complete renovation. Phase II includes the new Student Activities Center, which will also serve as the new facade of the stadium, AND Coaches' offices, the new FIU locker rooms, and players' clubhouse….so a portion of that $24 million tab is also part of the stadium complex, as you can see.

This will be, in essence, a new stadium, more so than a renovation, as the article also mentions.
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FIU approved for new football stadium

Congrats Fanatic, hats off to ya man you guys pulled it together and got it done. ;) Isn't it great when a plan comes together!!!

You guys have to share a little of that magic up the road from you.

Again, Congrats on the stadium.

Hey will you guys still play the Shula Bowl at Dolphin after you get the stadium built
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FIU approved for new football stadium

FIU approved for new football stadium

Hey Talon, thanks a lot. In two different surveys I received from the FIU administrators, my point has always been to let them know that I prefer something cozy, with capabilities to "grow", but as state-of-the-art as possible. I know it helps in recruiting, in winning some fans, and helps shed the "small school" image we have. For example, you guys have an excellent sports center in the Oxley Center, which I'm sure helps in all these issues I mentioned. I don't know what the final product might look like, but I think they are, more or less, going in that direction.

I have a feeling, and truly hope, you will get some good news of your own soon, be it the original dome plan, or some other "scaled down" one, but still nice. Your president is a proven leader, and your AD seems to be pretty competent as well, so I just can't see doom and gloom. As for the Shula Bowl, I guess we will play next year at the Orange Bowl, and from then back at The Cage when it is our turn to host the game…Good luck, and again, Thank You.

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