Nearly a decade after the Argonaut football program began play in 2016, the University of West Florida has broken ground on a new on-campus stadium, to be named in honor of major donor, Darrell Gooden.
The new Darrell Gooden Stadium, a multi-use football and events facility, will be built around PenAir Field, where the football team has been playing for the last few seasons.
“This is a transformational project, not just for the campus, not just for football, but for the entire community,” said UWF President Manny Diaz Jr.
The new stadium will expand seating capacity to 7,500, nearly doubling current capacity. It will also be designed to include premium seating, club areas, and suites, and will have the capability to host a wide range of non-football events.
“We’re gonna play football games, sure, we’re proud of that. But what a gathering place for the community, a place that our community can be proud of; an event space that can be used when football is not on and just the energy that we feel across campus with our students, our staff (and) our faculty,” Diaz said. “Everybody’s so excited about Argonaut football and this project.”
In his official remarks, Diaz was quick to give credit.
“We’re not here today. This doesn’t happen. This doesn’t get talked about if it’s not for the efforts and, really, the courage of Dr. Judy Bense,” he said.
It was then President Bense who led the charge to bring football to UWF and made the official announcement in 2013. The program launched in 2016, initially playing home games at Blue Wahoos Stadium. She recalled how difficult it was for the university to get financial backing for a new stadium of their own.
“The cavalry is not coming; nobody’s coming to save us...so we’re just gonna do it ourselves,” said Bense. “And I am proud of every one of you that helped. I’m proud of you, the fans. I'm proud of you, the students. And I’m proud because this will live on. This is one of those moments. It will live on because we set our minds to do it, and we did i,t and it’s gonna be great.”
Along with a $2 million grant from Escambia County’s Tourist Development Tax, the stadium is being funded through a combination of institutional investment and donor support, including a lead gift in excess of $9 million from Gooden, that secured the facility’s name.
“I was just lucky and fortunate enough to be part of the journey into football, because I was one of the original football founders and served on the Sword and Shield Council, where many of the key decisions were made back during that time to move this vision forward,” said Darrell Gooden, adding that he was very proud and honored that the new stadium will bear his name and is looking forward to sitting in the stands for a game once the facility is complete.
The first kickoff at Darrell Gooden Stadium is planned for the fall of 2027, with construction to continue while the Argos compete during the 2026 season. A new state-of-the-art LED video board — measuring 85 feet wide by 30 feet tall — will be installed and operational for the upcoming season.
Head football Coach Kaleb Nobles said this new stadium changes what’s possible for the UWF football program.
“I’m an alumnus of here. I got my master’s from here. I played on the first football team here, so when I came on my official visit here, I walked down this hill, and there was nothing but trees here,” said Nobles, pointing out that it’s awesome to now be in a leadership position. “From a football standpoint, Darrell Gooden Stadium definitely represents opportunity, not only opportunity to recruit at the highest level, but opportunity to win at the highest level for years to come.”
That would mean adding to the NCAA DII National Championship won by the Argos in 2019.
The UWF Haas Center expects the new stadium to have a significant economic impact on the community, projecting that over a five-year period, the football program alone is expected to generate $23.3 million in economic output.
