Birmingham commits to UAB, as Blazers will have a new stadium

After years of hoping for a new stadium, UAB will finally get their well-deserved wish as the Birmingham City Council voted 6-3 in favor of a new football stadium near downtown Birmingham.

According to reports, Birmingham has agreed to pay $90 million dollars over the course of 30 years for the new facility. The stadium is expected to have a max capacity near 55,000.

Currently the Blazers play at Legion Field, one of the worst football facilities in the country, in one of the roughest areas in Alabama.

The commitment from the city of Birmingham should have been a no-brainer a while ago. One of the more prominent cities in the state, Birmingham has seen the likes of Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans, and other major cities in the south surpass them.

I’ve always thought of the downtown Birmingham scene as a locale with enormous potential and a new stadium should provide a tremendous boom for that area.

For so many UAB fans and alumni, this was the last hurdle to prove that yes, folks in the state of Alabama actually do care about the Blazers and that Birmingham is willing to make an effort to invest in the university.

After being shutdown unfairly by Ray Watts and the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, the football program is as healthy as its ever been as the Blazers are coming off an 8-5 season in #theReturn and are expected to reach postseason play again in 2018.

In December of 2014, UAB football was shutdown and left for dead. Those that stood up to the injustice then deserve a ton of praise now. Without their fight and will to make sure UAB football exists, today doesn’t happen.

For years this program was seen as one of the worst jobs in the country. Facilities were poor, fan support was lacking, and commitment from UAB administration was unseen.

But now the future is bright. The UAB Blazers will have a new stadium and they have the support of the community to show for it.