Laying turf begins in UNA stadium

FLORENCE — The University of North Alabama’s colors are purple and gold but the sight of green brought a great deal of excitement to supporters Friday.

The first portions of the green turf are being put down inside Bobby Wallace Field at Bank Independent Stadium.

UNA Athletic Director Josh Looney said the turf project should be completed within three weeks.

“It’s exciting,” Looney said. “It’s that next visible stage as we go to that finish line over the next month. When you start seeing green it feels real.”

CONTRIBUTED/DAN BUSEY
Artificial turf is in place along portions of Bank Independent Stadium’s berm on Friday as construction continues at the University of North Alabama campus in Florence.

UNA’s first home game inside Bank Independent Stadium is scheduled for Sept. 19 against Alcorn State. Looney said construction is on schedule for completion in time.

“They’re projecting another three weeks of lay down with the turf but the way they are moving now, it’s a great pace and may be done before then,” he said.

The final stages of construction include matters such as landscaping, finishing touches to the exterior, and ceiling and flooring tiles for the weight room that is visible from Pine Street.

“Every day they’re installing something different in the club and suite part,” Looney said.

UNA fans, alumni and officials have wanted an on-campus stadium for decades. Fite Building Company began construction on the $53.367 million 10,000-seat stadium in June 2024.

The adjacent Mike Lane Field already is completed and the baseball team has been playing there over the past two seasons.

Looney said the lights at Bobby Wallace Field came on for the first time on July 24, and that has helped construction workers deal with the heat.

“They’ve been making a lot of progress under the lights during this heat wave,” he said. “We’re still tracking on the goal and confident everything will be ready to go on Sept. 19.”