$5.6M building permit filed for new stadium on U of M campus

By Omer Yusuf – Reporter, Memphis Business Journal

September 9, 2025

A multimillion-dollar permit has been filed for the University of Memphis’ new soccer stadium project.

Memphis-based general contractor Grinder, Taber & Grinder filed a $5.6 million permit on Sept. 5 tied to the development.

The new Liza Wellford Fletcher Stadium will replace the university’s current Billy J. Murphy Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Park Avenue campus. The facility will serve as the home for both men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as track and field programs.

The permit covers a 13,000-square-foot scope that includes a new ground-up locker room for soccer and new bleachers with a press box.

The university launched the Liza’s Light University of Memphis Soccer and Track Stadium Fund in August 2024 to support the project. The stadium is named in honor of Liza Wellford Fletcher, a former women’s soccer player who competed for Memphis in 2006–07.

At a Sept. 3 Board of Trustees meeting, athletic director Ed Scott said the university had raised approximately $7.36 million toward the project.

The first phase includes construction of a new grandstand, press box, women’s soccer locker room, and initial framework for the men’s locker room.

Future phases will complete team facilities for men’s soccer and track and field, with the upgrades expected to benefit more than 100 student-athletes.