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Football Coming to the University of West Florida

Sandra Averhart
/
WUWF Radio

Dr. Judy Bense, President of the University of West Florida has announced a timetable for the arrival of Division II NCAA football at the school, saying the first game will be played in the fall of 2016. Bense says that fund raising will begin immediately for the construction of a practice field on the university campus and the hiring of a coach.

Back in the spring of 2011 the university created a football feasibility committee to explore the possibility of creating a football program at the school examining costs, funding possibilities and other issues involved with creating the program.  UWF Athletic Director David Scott says having a three year timetable gives the university time to start up the program from scratch. Scott sees the addition of football at UWF as a natural progression in the growth of the school.

The start up costs for the football program will require fund raising from the private sector.  The university has created a group called the Football Founders to develop the fund raising plan. 

The plan is for the team to play a full season of practices and intrasquad scrimmages during the 2015 season...and for the kick off of the inaugural season of UWF Argos football in the Gulf South Conference the following fall.

Bob Barrett has been a radio broadcaster since the mid 1970s and has worked at stations from northern New York to south Florida and, oddly, has been able to make a living that way. He began work in public radio in 2001. Over the years he has produced nationally syndicated programs such as The Environment Show and The Health Show for Northeast Public Radio's National Productions.