Early planning and finance Although initial plans for a new stadium hinted at the possibility of a 40,000-seat domed facility, later plans called for a 30,000-seat open air stadium. The steel stadium would allow for future expansion up to 65,000 seats as well as a roof if needed. The architect for the stadium was finalized in July 2008 when the firms of
HKS and Schenkel Shultz were awarded the contract, finishing ahead of
Ellerbe Becket and
HOK. The new football stadium was projected to cost $70 million. To fund the stadium's construction, FAU secured a $12 million development rights deal with Crocker Partners LLC. In return, Crocker Partners secured the right to develop up to 2,400 new apartment-style beds on the Boca Raton campus; the first phase of 1,200 beds opened the fall 2011. On July 21, 2010, FAU trustees approved $44.6 million finance plan from
Regions Bank. FAU Stadium is one of the only collegiate football stadiums in the United States with a 180 degree view of the ocean from its highest seating positions.
Construction The school initially expected to break ground in spring 2009 and play its inaugural home game in fall 2010 against the
Michigan State Spartans; however, fundraising efforts fell short, and the stadium opening was delayed until fall 2011. Construction managers James A. Cummings, Inc. (a
Tutor Perini Company) and
Balfour Beatty Construction broke ground in the fall of 2010. Dant Clayton Corporation handled fabrication and installation of the stadium.
Opening season on opening day, October 15, 2011 The venue opened for the Owls' first home game on October 15, 2011, when the team lost to the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 20–0. The announced attendance for the game was 29,103, although attendance dropped to 16,344 for team's second home game against the
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The Owls finished the season with a 1–11 record, its sole win coming against the
UAB Blazers on November 26 in front of a home crowd of 12,044. The team's average home attendance for the year in its new stadium was 17,565, ranking it 103rd among
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams.
Naming rights Although the project had acquired approximately $3.69 million through naming rights by June 2011, the school had yet to sell the naming rights to stadium itself by the end of the team's first season in the facility. Originally, FAU aimed for a $1 million-per-year deal, but had dropped that expectation to around $400,000 by the team's first home game of the 2011 season. During halftime at that game, FAU athletic director Craig Angelos stated that the school was "very close" to making a deal. On February 19, 2013, the school announced that the naming rights to the stadium had been secured for approximately $6 million by the
GEO Group, a private prison investor and operator. The $6 million would have been paid over 12 years. The company's chief executive officer,
George Zoley, is an alumnus of the school and member of the FAU
Board of Trustees. In reaction to the deal, FAU play-by-play announcer Ken LaVicka dubbed the stadium "Owlcatraz". After public pressure from a handful of protests and significant bad publicity, Zoley and FAU president
Mary Jane Saunders canceled the naming rights deal. On December 17, 2024, FAU and Flagler Credit Union struck a 15-year naming rights deal worth $22.5 million. It is the largest naming rights deal in the
American Conference, and one of the largest in the
Group of Five. ==Notable events==