UT Dedicates New Athletic Field

View photo gallery of dedication and construction progress.

This story was updated on April 8, 2013.

In the inaugural game April 5 at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Intramural Complex, and for the second time in two years, the UT men's lacrosse program won the Deep South Conference regular-season championship with a 10-6 win over Rollins.

A ribbon cutting began the dedication festivities with UT President Ronald L. Vaughn and other campus and community leaders speaking. Then, at 7:45 p.m., special guests, including lead donor Vince Naimoli, was recognized with a special on-field dedication. The Spartans then faced off against the Rollins Tars.

UT was also recognized at the dedication by the Florida Urban Forestry Council for moving a grand oak tree from the construction zone to a new park just west of the field.

Located on Kennedy Boulevard on the western edge of UT’s 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 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.