Snapdragon_Stadium

Snapdragon Stadium

Snapdragon Stadium

Stadium in San Diego, California, US

Snapdragon Stadium is an outdoor stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University at SDSU Mission Valley. The stadium is home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I (FBS) as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW).

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Snapdragon Stadium is also home of San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR). A new Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team, San Diego FC, will begin playing at the stadium in 2025.[6]

Snapdragon Stadium is the first project within SDSU’s Mission Valley campus, anchoring its entertainment and education district. The stadium was built adjacent to the demolished San Diego Stadium, which had been the home of the school's football program since it opened in 1967.[7][8]

History

Planning

Following the announced departure of the NFL's Chargers from what was then SDCCU Stadium to the Los Angeles area in January 2017, focus began on building a new stadium for the Aztecs that was modern and the right size for the program. Over the course of the next nearly two years, the plan for what would become Snapdragon Stadium (known during its planning and early construction phases as Aztec Stadium) and the rest of the SDSU Mission Valley development (initially known as SDSU West) took shape. A competing redevelopment proposal surfaced, known as SoccerCity, which envisioned the SDCCU Stadium site being leased from the city and redeveloped with private funding if San Diego was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. Under this proposal, SDSU football would have the option of sharing the proposed smaller-capacity soccer stadium with the new MLS team. The SoccerCity proposal was placed on the November 2018 ballot in competition with the SDSU Mission Valley proposal, where the SDSU Mission Valley plan emerged victorious.[9][10]

On December 5, 2019, the school announced that it had received a $15 million gift from Dianne L. Bashor to help finance the new stadium, which led to its playing surface being named Bashor Field.[11]

On June 30, 2020, the city of San Diego approved the sale of the SDCCU Stadium site to San Diego State University and on August 10, 2020, the university officially took control of the property.[12] San Diego State bought the entire 135 acres (55 ha), including the existing stadium, from the city for $88 million. Groundbreaking on the new stadium took place on August 17, just one week after SDSU took control of the site.

Snapdragon Stadium under construction in November 2021

The entire $3.5 billion SDSU Mission Valley project includes housing, office and retail space, hotels, and eighty acres (32 ha) of parks and open space, including a 34-acre (14 ha) river park along the San Diego River on adjacent city property, and will be developed in phases over 10–15 years.[13] The stadium will seat 35,000 fans and is being built to support college football, non-football NCAA championship games, professional soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and special events such as concerts.[14][15] The stadium was designed to be expandable to a capacity of 55,000 (complete with a plan and renderings for such an expansion) or more to accommodate a prospective NFL return to San Diego and/or future needs of the Aztecs football team.[16]

On December 6, 2021, San Diego State announced a naming rights agreement with San Diego-based telecommunications company Qualcomm, who also owned the naming rights to the original stadium from 1997 to 2017. The stadium became known as Snapdragon Stadium, named after Qualcomm's Snapdragon brand of Systems on a chip (the original stadium had also been briefly renamed to Snapdragon Stadium in 2011).[17]

The stadium opened in 2022 for an Aztecs scrimmage on August 20. The Aztecs' first game was two weeks later on September 3, a 38–20 loss to the Arizona Wildcats.

On December 15, 2021, San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced it would move to Snapdragon Stadium starting in September 2022 following the stadium's completion; the club began its inaugural 2022 season at Torero Stadium at the University of San Diego.[18]

On February 2, 2022, the San Diego Legion of Major League Rugby (MLR) announced Snapdragon Stadium to be their new home beginning in 2023.[19]

On May 18, 2023, MLS announced San Diego has been awarded the league's 30th team (later named San Diego FC) and that the team will be playing at Snapdragon Stadium starting in 2025.[20]

Opening

Snapdragon Stadium opened for a SDSU scrimmage on August 20, 2022.[21] The first game in the stadium was played on September 3,[22] ending with the Aztecs being defeated 38–20 by the Arizona Wildcats.[23] The game occurred during a heat wave, resulting in heat illnesses among attendees that required the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department to send five ambulances and three fire engines to treat around 200 people, 20 of whom were hospitalized.[24][25] By kickoff, the game started when the temperature reached 100 °F (38 °C), with attendees retreating from the seating area and into shade. On social media, the stadium design was called into question by fans because of the lack of shade.[26]

On September 8, San Diego Fire-Rescue stated that the department did not receive a heat injury and illness plan from the university, having only received the medical plan two days before the game, and wrote that "it was evident that the sheer number of patients at the game quickly overwhelmed the EMS resources on site and required assistance from SDFD." Around 12:30 pm PDT (UTC−7), SDFD and EMS deputy chiefs considered asking the university to cancel the game but decided that doing so would not resolve the situation.[27]

Wave FC set a new NWSL attendance record when it debuted in the new stadium on September 17, 2022 against Angel City FC. By August 28, about three weeks before the game, over 27,000 tickets had been sold.[28] This total was comparable to the then-current league record of 27,278, set on August 29, 2021 when OL Reign played Portland Thorns FC at Lumen Field in Seattle as part of a doubleheader that also featured an MLS match between rivals Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers.[29] The pre-sales for Wave FC's stadium debut had already surpassed the record for a standalone game of 25,218, set on August 11, 2019 when Thorns FC hosted the North Carolina Courage at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.[30] On September 1, the team announced the game had sold out, based on a soccer capacity of 32,000,[31] and the official attendance for the game was announced as that number.[32]

Events

Sports

Soccer

Snapdragon Stadium has hosted San Diego State Aztecs women's soccer and men's soccer matches. On November 7, 2023, CONCACAF announced that inaugural final of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup will be held at Snapdragon Stadium on March 10, 2024.

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Lacrosse

2023 NLL Stadium Showdown

On December 6, 2022, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that the San Diego Seals would host the NLL's first-ever outdoor box lacrosse game on March 4, 2023.[34] The game, which became known as the NLL Stadium Showdown, saw the Seals beat the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 15–12.[35][36]

2023 World Lacrosse Championship

In January 2022, World Lacrosse announced that San Diego would host the 2023 World Lacrosse Championship, with Snapdragon Stadium to be the primary venue.[37] The opening ceremonies and opening game with Steve Aoki as the halftime performer, semifinals, bronze medal game, and gold medal game were held at Snapdragon. All other games were held at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego and three additional fields on the San Diego State Sports Deck.

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Rugby

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2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cup

San Diego is amongst the cities being considered for hosting matches during the 2031 (men's) and 2033 (women's) Rugby World Cup.[38]

Motorsports

Since 2023, Snapdragon Stadium has hosted rounds of Monster Jam and AMA Supercross Championship. In January 2023, the stadium hosted Monster Jam for the first time on January 7–8 and 14–15.[39] On January 21, 2023, the stadium hosted its first AMA Supercross Championship event.[40]

Concerts

On June 2-4, 2023, the Re:SET Concert Series was held at Thrive Park, located outside of Snapdragon Stadium. The outdoor concert series was headlined by LCD Soundsystem, boygenius, and Steve Lacy.

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  • Snapdragon Stadium night game
  • Snapdragon Stadium façade at night
  • Snapdragon Stadium panorama view
  • View of field at Snapdragon Stadium
  • Snapdragon Stadium from field level during a rugby match

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Kenney, Kirk (July 25, 2023). "Scene & Heard at Snapdragon Stadium: Fans flock to see Man U vs. Wrexham". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  2. [2]
    Kenney, Kirk (November 30, 2022). "Aztecs AD says inaugural season at Snapdragon Stadium 'exceeded my expectations'". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  3. [3]
    "2023 World Lacrosse Mens Cahmpionship Concludes After 11 Days". OurSports Central. July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  4. [4]
    "San Diego Legion set single-game attendance record in season-opening win over Utah Warriors". The San Diego Union-Tribune. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  5. [5]
    Kenney, Kirk (June 2, 2022). "Word is that with Latitude 36 variety, the grass is always greener". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  6. [6]
    Hernandez, Cesar (May 18, 2023). "San Diego awarded 30th MLS team, will debut in 2025". ESPN. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  7. [7]
    "San Diego State chooses Clark to deliver new stadium". The Stadium Business. March 1, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  8. [8]
    Sklar, Debbie L. (April 19, 2019). "SDSU Picks Architects to Design Future Mission Valley Stadium". Times of San Diego. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  9. [9]
    Van Grove, Jennifer (October 4, 2018). "The Mission Valley stadium ballot measures explained". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  10. [10]
    Van Grove, Jennifer (November 7, 2018). "SDSU West bests SoccerCity as voters embrace a new vision for Mission Valley stadium site". San Diego Union Tribune.
  11. [11]
    "San Diego State announces multi-million dollar donation to help fund Mission Valley stadium". The Daily Aztec. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  12. [12]
    "City Approves Agreement for SDSU to Purchase Mission Valley Stadium Site". Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  13. [13]
    Huard, Ray (May 31, 2020). "City Approves Deal to Sell Stadium Site to SDSU". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  14. [14]
    Adamek, Steve (February 28, 2019). "SDSU Selects Clark Construction to Build $250M Mission Valley Stadium". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
  15. [15]
    Van Grove, Jennifer (October 10, 2019). "SDSU is about to make an offer to buy the city's Mission Valley stadium site". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  16. [16]
    "San Diego State details how NFL could fit with stadium proposal". San Diego Union-Tribune. April 27, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  17. [17]
    "Qualcomm Snags Naming Rights to New SDSU Venue with 'Snapdragon Stadium'". timesofsandiego.com. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  18. [18]
    "NWSL expansion team San Diego Wave FC unveil official crest". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  19. [19]
    Tripp, Darnay (February 2, 2022). "Legion to Play at Snapdragon Stadium Beginning in 2023". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  20. [20]
    "Major League Soccer awards expansion team to San Diego". May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Snapdragon Stadium Hosts Aztecs Scrimmage, Opens to Fans for First Time". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  22. [22]
    Kenney, Kirk (August 17, 2020). "SDSU officially breaks ground on new Mission Valley stadium". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  23. [23]
    "Arizona Wildcats vs San Diego State Aztecs". Fox Sports. September 3, 2022. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  24. [24]
    Mueller, Pat (September 3, 2022). "San Diego Fire Department sees wave of heat-related injuries at Snapdragon Stadium". San Diego: KGTV. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  25. [25]
    "Dozens of fans escorted out of Snapdragon stadium due to heat related illnesses". San Diego: KUSI-TV. September 6, 2022. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  26. [26]
    Yutig, Jayne (September 3, 2022). "Scorching heat at Snapdragon Stadium forces fans out of seats and into shade, some in need of medical aid". San Diego: KFMB-TV. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  27. [27]
    Handy, Shannon (September 8, 2022). "San Diego Fire-Rescue says 'our input was not solicited' prior to Snapdragon opener". San Diego: KFMB-TV. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  28. [28]
    Herrera, Sandra (August 28, 2022). "San Diego Wave FC look to make NWSL history; Alex Morgan thrilled with inaugural season returns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  29. [29]
    Evans, Jayda (August 29, 2021). "Megan Rapinoe scores a brace to lead OL Reign past Portland before an NWSL-record crowd". The Seattle Times. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  30. [30]
    Goldberg, Jamie (August 11, 2019). "Portland Thorns fight back to earn massive 2-1 win over North Carolina Courage in front of record-setting crowd". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  31. [31]
    "Club to break the NWSL attendance record at Snapdragon home opener" (Press release). San Diego Wave FC. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  32. [32]
    "Match Recap: San Diego tops Angel City in front of capacity crowd for first win at Snapdragon Stadium". National Women's Soccer League. September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  33. [33]
    "Snapdragon Stadium to host Manchester United, Gold Cup semi in July". San Diego Union-Tribune. February 26, 2023.
  34. [34]
    City News Service (December 6, 2022). "Snapdragon Stadium to host lacrosse showdown in March with SD Seals". KGTV. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  35. [35]
    "Desert Dogs Falter Late in Stadium Showdown". OurSports Central. March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  36. [36]
    "SEALS TO HOST FIRST-EVER NLL OUTDOOR GAME". San Diego Seals. December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  37. [37]
    Bloom, Barry M. (January 10, 2022). "San Diego to Host 2023 Men's Lacrosse Championship at New Stadium". Sportico.com. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  38. [38]
    "United States named host nation for 2031 and 2033 Rugby World Cup - USA Rugby".
  39. [39]
    "Snapdragon Stadium getting prepared for Monster Jam". ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV. January 5, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  40. [40]
    Schmiedeberg • •, Renee (January 4, 2023). "26 Million Pounds of Dirt Poured Into Snapdragon Stadium for Monster Jam, Supercross". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
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