The University of North Alabama spent 77 seasons (1949–2025) renting city-owned Braly Municipal Stadium instead of playing on campus. Home games were held about a mile from campus for that whole stretch. What happens on September 19, 2026, is the part fans have waited to see for a long time.
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A UNA student tagged College GameDay to spotlight the Lions’ September 19 home opener against Alcorn State. That game will be the first on-campus football game in the University of North Alabama’s 196-year history. Kickoff is set for Bobby Wallace Field inside the new Bank Independent Stadium.
UNA was founded in 1830, and never had an on-campus football venue before this. From the program’s full-time restart in 1949 through 2025, every home game was played at Braly Municipal Stadium.
Discussions began in 1973–74, but no site or funding materialized until 2023. Braly was good enough while UNA won as a Division II program. It even hosted the Division II national championship game for years.
The rental model cost UNA control over scheduling, amenities, and revenue, a constraint that shaped the program for decades. Athletic director Josh Looney pointed to one 2022 neutral-site game at Toyota Field. That single date produced more revenue than an usual full season at Braly.
A 2018 student-government resolution and 2019 task force under President Ken Kitts laid groundwork. When UNA moved to Division I FCS around 2021, fundraising accelerated. The Board of Trustees approved the project in June 2023.
“I am thrilled that our partnership with Bank Independent and other donors allows us to move forward with a multipurpose, on-campus stadium,” President Dr. Kitts said on June 9, 2023, “so that we may begin to realize next steps and see this long-time goal become a reality.”
The whole project has been cited at about $65 million. The football package drew a $53.6 million construction bid from Fite Building Company in December 2024. The baseball field was a separate contract of about $12 million. The Board authorized borrowing up to $35 million. Later reports mentioned a bond figure around $37.7 million. Athletics reserves and future stadium revenue were meant to cover the rest.
Those dollars were meant to fix the limits that came with renting Braly for 77 seasons. That is the part that now changes how fans, students, and the athletic department spend a Saturday in Florence.
What the new campus stadium changes on Game Day
Braly listed 14,215 seats and Bank Independent Stadium holds about 10,000. Braly’s record crowd was 15,631 for the 1993 playoff against IUP. The old stadium hosted the Division II championship from 1986 to 2013. Its last major renovation was in 1998. It stayed off campus, city-owned, and shared with Florence High School.
UNA now keeps ticket, concession, parking, suite, club, and sponsorship money. The school no longer rents its main football home. Concerts and community events can go on the same site. Women’s soccer is booked on Bobby Wallace Field starting October 4.
Crews dug the field about 15 feet below the old grade to make a true bowl. The club level has been called one of the larger indoor-outdoor clubs in FCS. The original 13 suites sold out soon after the 2024 groundbreaking. UNA then added five concourse container suites. Capacity can grow later.
“You have to find opponents and compensate opponents to come for those extra home games. So I’m excited that we will have six home games for the first time as a Division I program. And we’ll open up Bank Independent on September 19 against Alcorn State,” Looney said during the December 18, 2025 press availability.
“There is a feeling that is unmatched right now. We are excited to open the season with a Week 0 game vs. in-state foe Samford before traveling to the first SEC game in our Division I history to follow,” head coach Brent Dearmon said in the February 2, 2026 schedule release.
Groundbreaking was June 14, 2024, and the final structure went up July 31, 2025. The video board went in during May 2026. The next home game is September 26 against Western Illinois for Family Weekend.
Kickoff against Alcorn State is on September 19 and it is the first meeting between the schools. UNA is 1–2. The Lions beat Samford 22–10 in Huntsville on August 29, lost at Arkansas 14–31, and lost at Southeastern Louisiana 25–30.