During what is the university’s first-ever homecoming week, Texas A&M University-San Antonio leaders and local officials broke ground on a new athletics field at the rapidly growing college campus.
Crews began site work in January, and continued work through a ceremony Tuesday, to upgrade a softball stadium and build a competition track and multipurpose field in view of an early childhood school and a new hospital also under construction.
“Today marks a milestone and our ongoing commitment to excellence in athletics and community engagement,” said Darnell Smith, athletic director at TAMUSA. “These facilities are not just about sports. It’s about building a legacy. It represents opportunity, hard work, the spirit of togetherness that brings us all here together.”
Designed by Fort Worth-based Paragon Sports Contractors, the athletics complex is expected to be complete in early 2026.
In 2022, Bexar County committed $10 million to build the facility, which will be open to the public and also provide space for amateur sports.
“As many of you know, on the South Side, there are only four facilities for youth and amateur sports,” said TAMUSA President Salvador Hector Ochoa at the groundbreaking ceremony. The facility is meant to fill that void.
Ochoa said the project also will improve athletics at the 16-year-old institution.
“We are laying a foundation to create a world-class athletics program,” he said. “With the new facilities … we’ll be able to recruit more student-athletes, better train our current athletes and open the doors for future athletic program opportunities. We recognize that this is a significant step forward.”
Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores (Pct. 1), who said she had to fight for the funding, addressed the university students who attended the event.
“There was a lot of hard work from a lot of people who went into this, lots and lots of meetings, lots of fighting, and it’s finally happened,” she said. “So as you go on to your careers and graduations, don’t forget where you come from. Make sure we build a strong alumni base here and come back to serve the South Side of Bexar County.”
The university’s Student Body President, Serenity Gill, said the project builds on the journey of school spirit and team life.
“If there’s one thing that sports does is knowing how to build a family that participates in unity and value,” Gill said.
University employees are also looking forward to using the track. “After work, we’ll walk around and run around the [campus],” said Melinda Salinas, a post-award business coordinator. “This is going to be really nice.”
Lilyana Leyva, a sophomore who plays midfield and defense for the Jaguar soccer team, watched the groundbreaking ceremony with some of her teammates. She said she looks forward to matches on their new field — a milestone that fulfills her expectations.
“I liked that it was not fully established yet,” she said of choosing to attend Texas A&M-San Antonio. “I just look forward to seeing how the school will develop.”
The university’s growing athletics program gave rise to its inaugural homecoming week, said Emily Banda, director of student life. Homecoming will feature six days of activities and events, including a chili cook-off, basketball games, pizza with the president and a royalty crowning.
More than 8,000 students attend the university.
“Now that we have a stronger alumni base, [we are] really starting and establishing a strong tradition to welcome them back, now that we have the athletic infrastructure,” Banda said.
Texas A&M-San Antonio began its basketball program earlier this school year.
A groundbreaking event for the Educare facility also underway on the campus is planned for Feb. 27.
The new 25,000-square-foot early childhood education facility will serve around 200 children and is expected to fill a need in one of the city’s many “child care” deserts, where there are far fewer quality child care slots than needed.
When it opens in summer 2026, the school also will be a teaching model, allowing area early childhood educators and those looking to enter the field to see best practices firsthand, according to program leaders.
Also in close proximity to the sports complex is University Health’s Palo Alto Hospital now under construction.
That medical facility is expected to open in 2027, said a university spokesman, while the county’s health care center and headquarters for University Health Institute for Public Health will open in 2026.
