Starting a football program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock would require a significant infusion of money well beyond an increase in its budget for athletics, according to a consultant's report released Tuesday.
The university "makes a concerted effort to provide an array of student services but is challenged at times to meet the needs of its approximately 11,000 students, including student-athletes, due to resource constraints," the report by Conventions, Sports & Leisure International said.
The athletic budget would grow from the current $11 million a year to as much as $23.4 million, depending on which level of NCAA participation the university chose, according to the report.
The Plano, Texas company, which already had conducted a separate, $160,000 study on the future of War Memorial Stadium, was paid $125,000 for the study released Tuesday.
No timetable has been set for a final decision on whether football or a marching band program would be added to the UA Little Rock Athletic Department.
Read Wednesday's Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.