By Madyson Montoya — Content Editor
Reinventing the program with renovations. At least, that’s the plan.
On June 5, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at CEFCU Stadium to celebrate the start of renovations and the creation of a new football operations center.
The first step in the process was demolishing the bleachers on the east side of the field. A project as big as this one is going to take some time, so currently the east side is being modified, but it will not be completed in time for the 2019 season.
As promised to the original timeline, phase one of construction is reaching completion with the east side having all of its bleachers removed and is in the process of being covered in grass. It will be done by the first football game Aug. 29, but further construction will not take place until the end of the season.
Lawrence Fan, San Jose State’s associate athletics director, the grass-covered hill will be closed to the public, and “CEFCU Stadium’s capacity for the 2019 season will be 21,530,” making it the fourth-smallest stadium by capacity in the FBS.
It cuts down the number of seats by nearly 9,000. Not having as many seats as before shouldn’t be a problem based on the attendance of the last few seasons, but the idea is that these renovations will ultimately bring more people to the game.
The final project is set to have a new football operations building, new locker rooms for football and soccer, a new training room, gameday suites and new seats and concession stands. All is set to be completed by 2023.
“I think it gives [the program] a new spark of energy and emotion, and I also believe that it’s an exciting thing to bring all the sports together,” said Anthony Pardue, an offensive lineman.
A big misconception is that this newly-renovated stadium will immediately attract new fans. Newer and nicer stands will help the attendance issue, but it will not be able to fix it entirely.
“I can’t say it would appeal to the student body’s attendance,” said Kelsey Barredo, a former student. “I think students will come when the football team becomes more successful.”
The new facility will likely attract more alumni to the games simply out of curiosity with respect to how SJSU is changing. The student body will need more motivation.
“I love San Jose State and I want it to be the best it can be,” Barredo said. “But, I also know that I am one of the few students that cares for athletics.”
What a lot of people don’t see is that these renovations tie into helping the football team become successful. Better facilities means a larger attraction to better recruits, which will result in a more successful team.
“I think it’s huge, because if the new players aren’t practicing, they’re going to be hanging out around the facility,” Pardue said. “It shows that the coaches and the people supporting football are behind the players.”
SJSU Athletics is taking a step in the right direction by updating CEFCU Stadium to keep up with conference competitors and their facilities.
The Spartan football program has fallen behind the Mountain West’s standards, and it is taking the proper steps to remain relevant within the conference.
“I think new players will be excited to see what we have coming in the future,” Pardue added. “It’s just another step in building San Jose State.”
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