CEFCU Stadium
CEFCU Stadium, formerly known and more commonly referred to as Spartan Stadium from 1933 to 2015, is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of central San Jose, California. Owned by San José State University, the venue is the longtime home of Spartan football. The stadium also hosts occasional high school football games and the university commencement ceremony every year on Memorial Day weekend.[2] Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in 2016.
 | |
 Spartan Stadium, 2007 | |
  CEFCU Stadium Location in San Jose  CEFCU Stadium Location in California  CEFCU Stadium Location in the United States | |
| Former names | Spartan Stadium (1933–2015) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1257 S. 10th St. |
| Location | San Jose, California |
| Coordinates | 37°19′11″N 121°52′6″W / 37.31972°N 121.86833°WCoordinates: 37°19′11″N 121°52′6″W / 37.31972°N 121.86833°W |
| Public transit |   Tamien |
| Owner | San Jose State University |
| Operator | San Jose State University |
| Capacity | 21,520 (2019–present) 30,456[1] (2000–18) 31,218 (1985–99) 18,155 (1948–84) 11,000 (1937–47) 8,500 (1936–36) 4,000 (1933–35) |
| Surface | AstroTurf (2017–present) FieldTurf (2009–2017) Natural grass (1933–2008) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Opened | 1933, 88 years ago |
| Expanded | 1936–1937, 1948, 1985 |
| Construction cost | US$1.5 million (expansion) |
| Tenants | |
| San Jose State Spartans (NCAA) (1933–present) San Jose Earthquakes (NASL/WSA) (1974–1988) San Francisco Bay Blackhawks/San Jose Hawks (WSA/APSL/USISL) (1989–1993) San Jose Clash/Earthquakes (MLS) (1996–2005) Bay Area/San Jose CyberRays (WUSA) (2001–2003) Silicon Valley Football Classic (NCAA) (2000–2004) San Francisco Dragons (MLL) (2008) California Redwoods (UFL) (2009) | |
CEFCU Stadium was the home of the San Jose Earthquakes (originally San Jose Clash) of Major League Soccer from the league's inception in 1996 through the 2005 season. Other tenants have included the original San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1984, the San Jose CyberRays of the Women's United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003, and the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse in 2008. Soccer Bowl '75 was also held at Spartan Stadium.
During the winter and spring of 2009, the stadium's natural turf was removed and replaced with FieldTurf, a new generation of artificial turf with a crumb rubber and sand infill. This improvement has resulted in significant savings to the university in water use, fertilizer and seed. This project was completed in time for the May 2009 commencement ceremony.[3]
The stadium also received significant upgrades to the scoreboard and sound system in 2011.[4] This included installation of a HD video board (commonly called a JumboTron) by Daktronics at the south end of the stadium.[5]
Stadium historyEdit
Originally built 88 years ago in 1933 as a 4,000-seat facility, CEFCU Stadium has been renovated and expanded over the years.[1] The most recent additions came in the 1980s when the capacity of the stadium was expanded from 18,000 to approximately 33,000 by adding boxes and an upper deck on the west side. In the early 2000s, the field was widened and other renovations were carried out for the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team in accordance with official FIFA regulations. As a result of these renovations, parts of the stands closest to the playing field were removed, thus lowering available seating for all sports to 30,456. Seating capacity remained at 30,456 until 2019, when it was temporarily reduced to 21,520 as part of a massive east-side stadium renovation project. The project is scheduled to be completed in August 2023.
In August 2016, Citizens Equity First Credit Union purchased naming rights to Spartan Stadium for $8.7 million. The deal between CEFCU and San José State University will last for 15 years. SJSU is the only university in the California State University system to sell naming rights to its football stadium. At the time, SJSU was one of three member universities in the Mountain West Conference to strike such a deal, with one other MW member playing in a municipally owned stadium that was also named through such a deal. Two more MW schools have since made similar naming rights deals for their football stadiums.[6] The $8.7 million raised by the agreement will primarily be used for athletic scholarships, athletics operations, and athletics facilities.[7]
Spartan Athletics Center and East-side RenovationsEdit
A CEFCU Stadium east-side building addition is currently under construction at a projected cost of $57.6 million.[8] Known as the Spartan Athletics Center, the 55,000 square-foot, multi-story facility will house a new football operations center, locker rooms, offices, meeting and training rooms and a sports medicine center. The facility will also include soccer team offices and locker rooms, as well as dining and hospitality facilities, event spaces and premium viewing areas.[9] Along with construction of the SAC, a major renovation of the stadium's entire east side is currently underway.
The east-side stadium renovation has temporarily reduced seating capacity at CEFCU Stadium from just over 30,000 to 21,520.[10] Approximately 9,000 seats were removed from the stadium in 2019 to make way for the new building. Bleachers were also removed from the north end zone to make way for construction of a new state-of-the-art video scoreboard and outdoor bar and lounge area. The new scoreboard was completed in 2020. SAC construction and the east and north-side stadium renovations are projected to be completed in August 2023.[11]
Other usesEdit
The now defunct NCAA Silicon Valley Football Classic bowl game was held at CEFCU Stadium from 2000 to 2004.
CEFCU Stadium has hosted numerous FIFA events. Most notably the stadium was used as one of the venues for the 1999 Women's World Cup.
The stadium also hosts the commencement ceremonies of San José State University every spring, as well as musical concerts throughout the year. CEFCU Stadium is only one block from San Jose Municipal Stadium, home of the San Jose Giants, the High A minor league baseball affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
International soccer matchesEdit
| Date | Competition | Team | Res | Team | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Feb 1986 | International Friendly |  Mexico
|
1–2 |  East Germany
|
6,000 |
| 19 Jun 1999 | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Group C |
 Japan
|
1–1 |  Canada
|
23,298 |
| 19 Jun 1999 | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Group D |
 Sweden
|
1–2 |  China PR
|
23,298 |
| 30 Jun 1999 | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Quarter-finals |
China PR
|
2–0 |  Russia
|
21,411 |
| 30 Jun 1999 | 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup Quarter-finals |
 Norway
|
3–1 | Sweden
|
21,411 |
| 27 Sep 2000 | International Friendly | Mexico
|
1–0 |  Bolivia
|
30,154 |
GalleryEdit
Spartan Stadium, San Jose CA – 1933
Spartan Stadium – San Jose State vs. Boise State – 2008
Spartan Stadium – Aerial view at night – 2008
First season using new "FieldTurf" playing surface, San Jose State vs. Utah – 2009
The Spartan Stadium field in 2015
Aerial from the southwest, 2017
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b www.nmnathletics.com
- ^ "Campus Grounds: South Campus". SJSU Athletics. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ "SJSU in the News: Spartan Stadium Upgrades Scoreboards, Sound System | SJSU News". Blogs.sjsu.edu. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "25 New College Football Systems". Daktronics.com. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ Lyell, Kelly (April 19, 2018). "CSU's on-campus stadium naming rights sell for $37.7 million". Coloradoan. Fort Collins, CO. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "SJSU & CEFCU Announcement Enhanced long-term Partnership Agreement for Spartan Stadium".
- ^ "SJSU's Spartan Athletics Center receives boost with bond funding approval". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Spartan Athletics Center". San Jose State University. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "New look for San Jose State's football stadium". The Mercury News. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Spartan Athletics Center". San Jose State University. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
External linksEdit
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to CEFCU Stadium. |
- SJSU Spartans.com – official athletics site
| Preceded by first stadium |
Home of the San Jose Earthquakes 1996–2005 |
Succeeded by Buck Shaw Stadium 2008–2014 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (big game venue) 2008–2009 |
| Preceded by Grant Field |
Host of the College Cup 1969 |
Succeeded by Ralph Korte Stadium |
| Preceded by UNCG Soccer Stadium |
Host of the Women's College Cup 1999–2000 |
Succeeded by Gerald J. Ford Stadium |