ST. PETERSBURG — The University of South Florida St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Rowdies are collaborating to transform a recreational soccer field on the downtown campus into a professional-grade playing space.

The half-block field is on Third Street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues S, across the street from the university bookstore. For years, it has served as a casual green space where students play intramural soccer, flag football and pick-up Frisbee.

Now the Rowdies, who play their games at nearby Al Lang Stadium, want to use it for practices. The team has started a project to level and maintain the space so it compares with the fields it plays on in stadiums, said Beth Herendeen, vice president for the Edwards Group, headed by Rowdies owner Bill Edwards.

The team also plans to install new goals and large nets to prevent soccer balls from bouncing into traffic. Bermuda turf will be laid. Some of the work began right after Christmas.

Meanwhile, the school is planning to build a fence around the field, limiting access to students, faculty and staff, in addition to the Rowdies. An irrigation system is going in and a scoreboard also may be installed. And the field will have lighting, which means students can use it more at night.

"It's a great addition for the student life and the students here," said Joe Trubacz, the university's regional vice chancellor of finance and administration. "It also adds activity and vitality to that block."