Riccardo Silva Stadium receives renovations for the upcoming season

By Steven Melendez/Staff Writer

FIU football and Miami FC soccer received massive upgrades that were a long time coming. On April 2017, Miami FC owner Riccardo Silva donated a record $3.76 million, leaving was formerly known as FIU stadium to be renamed to Riccardo Silva Stadium.

Aside from the change of name, the stadium has undergone a few renovations. One of the renovations features Fieldturf, a new artificial playing field. The Revolution 360 field turf that was installed makes the field more durable which is safer for the players to play on.

Senior Jose Melendez, who used to play high school football, explained that he preferred playing on the artificial turf.

“Playing on turf compared to actual grass is definitely a different feel, at least to me the field always felt smoother but it all depends on the players,” said the public relations and sociology major. “I used to play football and I used prefer to play on turf instead of grass.”

The second renovation made was instillation of the new 1,800-square foot, high-definition scoreboard. The new HD video board now has the capabilities to play instant replays, which has never been an option for the FIU fans. The 31 by 59 foot video board is now the crown jewel of Riccardo Silva stadium.

When asked about what this innovation will bring the experience of going to a game, junior Laura Jeigh, who is major in biology, said that the renovations will definitely create some buzz around campus encouraging students and others to attend the games.

“The scoreboard is huge addition”, said Jeigh. “A lot of times when I go to games I hear the crowd erupt and cheer because of a big play, but if you miss the big play you would have no way to rewatch the play”. “The video board will add a new dimension for fans that was not present in previous years.”

Even in the recruiting aspect for the FIU football team, the new renovations to the stadium could be a great pitch for the FIU coaching staff to present to potential players. With the university upgrading the stadium it shows the community that the football program and the other FIU athletics are continuing to grow. With Miami FC also playing North American Soccer League games at Riccardo Silva Stadium, the new additions of the scoreboard and artificial turf will also benefit the professional soccer club.