DENTON – North Texas received final approval to build a new football stadium from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Thursday.

"It's a monumental day in the history of North Texas athletics that has been a long time coming," UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "It's great to be on track to build the kind of facility that this university deserves."

Before its game against Army on Nov. 21, UNT will break ground on a $78 million venue that will seat more than 30,000. Construction will begin in January.

The stadium will be built adjacent to the Mean Green Athletic Center on the west side of Interstate 35. It is expected to open in time for the 2011 season.

The stadium will replace Fouts Field, which opened in 1952. The school hopes it will bolster a program that has struggled since winning the last of four consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles in 2004. UNT has not won more than three games in a season since.

Coach Todd Dodge has said the facility would help put his program on equal footing with the teams it is competing against for players.

UNT's student body approved a fee of $10 per semester credit hour last year that will help pay for the venue. Private donations and naming rights agreements are expected to help cover much of the rest of the cost.

"This will give us the kind of facility that will help attract top student-athletes and provide for every level of fan," Villarreal said. "It will be a great entryway to campus that will provide a whole new perspective of the university."

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