UNA’s new stadium has reached a major construction milestone.
The final beam of UNA’s Bank Independent Stadium was laid in place on July 31. The milestone was celebrated at Champions Plaza, the future entrance to the new stadium.
“Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are eager to use this great facility to enjoy football, soccer and baseball games,” said UNA Athletic Director Josh Looney. “Bank Independent Stadium is an asset for the Shoals region, and today’s ceremony is one more step toward seeing the long-held dream of an on-campus stadium come to fruition.”
The university broke ground on the stadium just over a year ago in June 2024. The projected timeline for completion of the project expects the stadium to be in use for the 2026-27 football seasons.
Plans for the stadium have been in the works for several years. In 2018, after the Student Government Association created a resolution favoring an on-campus stadium, UNA President Dr. Ken Kitts created a task force to consider the addition to the university.
Efforts to fundraise for the stadium began in 2021, and in August 2022, the university was promoted to NCAA Division I status, further necessitating the transition to a bigger, on-campus stadium.
On June 9 of last year, the UNA Board of Trustees unanimously approved the plans for the new multipurpose stadium and authorized the next steps in the designing and planning process.
“Our campus, our community, and our philanthropic conversations have brought us to this day and this historic decision made by our Board of Trustees,” said UNA President Ken Kitts after the Board approved the plans. “I am thrilled that our partnership with Bank Independent and other donors allow us to move forward with the multipurpose, on-campus stadium so that we may begin to realize next steps and see this long-time goal become a reality.”
