LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The University of Louisville broke ground today on Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium, a new $18.5 million soccer stadium which will be built on the UofL campus over the next 14 months.

“We’re delighted to begin construction on what will be the finest collegiate soccer stadium in the nation,” said Tom Jurich, UofL Vice President and Director of Athletics.  “The generosity of Mark and Cindy with their lead gift put us over the top and so many others have stepped up to make this vision a reality.  This is a huge boost for our campus and the regional soccer community.”

Construction on the state-of-the-art facility will begin on June 3, with completion anticipated on August 1, 2014.  TEG is the architect for the project while construction will be done by Abel Construction.  The stadium will be located on Floyd Street in the space currently occupied by a parking lot across from the UofL football practice fields, making it visible from Interstate 65.

UofL announced in mid-February that Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn contributed $5 million toward the construction of the stadium, providing one of the largest personal gifts ever made to UofL Athletics.  UofL is still seeking donations to complete the project, which needs an additional $2.5 million to be fully funded.

The stadium will have seating capacity for over 5,300 and includes a 15,500 square foot training center with identical locker rooms for the UofL men’s and women’s teams, coaches offices, and a training room, as well as a suite and press box situated atop the grandstand at midfield.  The natural turf field will be surrounded by chairback seating for 2,300 in the main grandstand, bleacher seating for 900 in the East end zone and two berms, which will accommodate 2,100.  It is the second-largest on-campus facility project the Cardinals have built behind Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and its subsequent expansion.

The Cardinals’ men’s soccer team has emerged as a national power, playing in the 2010 NCAA Championship game and reaching the NCAA Elite Eight each of the last three seasons under coach Ken Lolla.  Nine UofL players have been taken in the first two rounds of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft the last three years, including this year’s No. 1 overall selection Andrew Farrell.  Former Cardinal Austin Berry was the 2012 MLS Rookie of the Year, with former UofL teammate Nick DeLeon as the runner-up in that voting.

UofL’s women’s soccer team won the 2011 BIG EAST Conference National Division Championship, advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and won a school-record 14 games.  The Cardinals have earned three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last seven seasons under the guidance of coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes.

UofL season ticket holders for 2013 Cardinal Soccer will gain priority when the team moves to Lynn Stadium.  To purchase season tickets and to become a 2014 Founding Season Ticket Holder at Lynn Stadium, call 502-852-0120 or emailtickets@gocards.com for more information.

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@UofLSheriff50. Louisville native, University of Louisville Business School Grad c/o 2004. Co-Founder of TheCrunchZone.com

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