EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — College football is coming the Rio Grande Valley.

UTRGV held a press conference on Friday morning to announce the university’s plan for building a football program. UTRGV will field a team for the 2025 season.

The university plans on hosting home games in Edinburg and Brownsville.

“We’re going to play at least one game (per season) in Brownsville and here in the Upper Valley,” said UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. “Deepening those conversations with H-E-B Park and Sams Stadium.”

UTRGV plans on hiring a head coach in the near future.

“We are not in a rush,” Conque said. We don’t have to sign a recruiting class next February. So we want to get it right. I think there will be great interest in this position. Look forward working through that process.”

UTRGV, which is a member of the Western Athletic Conference, will play football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.

In addition to the creation of a football program, the university is also adding women’s swimming and diving, marching bands and expanded spirit programs.

“Traditional college experience where you can participate in a marching band,” said UTRGV President Guy Bailey. “You have the expanded spirit squad, the tailgate you can go to before football. As you do that, our students have the same set of opportunities they would have at any other university.”