Miami’s renovated FIU Stadium is now Riccardo Silva Stadium

When FIU’s football team kicks off their season in Miami this Fall, they’ll not only be operating under a new head coach in Butch Davis but also an upgraded and renamed stadium.

Effective today, FIU Stadium will now be known as Riccardo Silva Stadium, named after the owner of Silva International Investments and co-owner of Miami FC, which debuted last season in the North American Soccer League (a notch below MLS) and played their games there.

Silva has been a supporter of FIU athletics since 2015 and the naming deal will last five years.

“FIU has been an amazing partner since we began working together with Miami FC,” Silva said in a press release. “When I brought professional soccer to Miami last year, I never dreamed that the Miami FC would be playing in a stadium named after me. It’s a huge honor of which I’m very proud and grateful for.”

A couple of key renovations also took place in the 20,000-seat venue located at 11310 Southwest 17th Street at Tamiami Park. The first was installing a new artificial playing surface in FieldTurf’s Revolution 360. The next was upgrading to a HD videoboard, which measures 31 by 59 feet and has live video/replay capabilities.

FIU’s spring football game takes place this Friday while Miami FC’s season is ongoing.

ESPN was the first to report the news.