MIAMI-Florida International University has signed a contract with Coral Gables-based Odebrecht Construction Inc. for development of a new on-campus football stadium. It will be built on the same FIU land occupied by the current stadium, which is slated for eventual demolition.

An FIU spokesman tells GlobeSt.com the new stadium will be constructed in two phases, and some existing stands will remain in use during phase one, which is scheduled for completion by the September 2008 football season. The estimated cost of the total project is $44 million, he says, and $30 million is devoted to the opening phase.

That phase will take stadium capacity to 18,000 in a combination of chairback and bench seating, all with backrests. It includes 1,400 club seats; a 6,500-sf Panther Club, named for FIU