 "Photo: Courtesy UCF Athletics Association")
Construction has begun on the new UCF Track and Soccer Complex, the campus' latest addition to its athletic facilities.
Slated to be finished in March, the new stadium will feature the addition of nearly 1,500 seats, a press box and permanent restrooms.
"This gives us a better opportunity to host championship events in NCAA and Conference USA in soccer [and] track ..." said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations David Hansen.
The current track and soccer fields feature 428 seats and portable restrooms with no press box. The lack of seats and press area made UCF an undesirable spot to host any type of postseason event — made most evident when UCF held a men's soccer tournament game this past fall — and the athletic department had to pay for extra seats to accommodate all the fans.
The new complex is being privately funded, similar to how Bright House Networks Stadium was constructed, and will cost about $1.2 million. No money will be taken out taxpayers' or students' pockets and the construction will not affect tuition.
The track and soccer complex is just one of seven construction projects that will be completed over the next 10 years at UCF. Students can also expect to see an expansion of the baseball stadium and a new academic athletic center completed this fall.
Hansen said that expansions are in the works for the Wayne Densch Sports Center, a soccer, baseball and track clubhouse, an expansion of Bright House Networks Stadium and an intercollegiate tennis facility.
When completed in March, the first event at the complex will be a women's track meet.
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