| Stevens Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Buck Shaw Field | |
| Location | Santa Clara, California |
| Broke ground | 1961 |
| Opened | September 22, 1962 |
| Owner | Santa Clara University |
| Operator | Santa Clara University |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $4 million US (2008 upgrades) |
| Former names | Buck Shaw Stadium (1962–2015) |
| Tenants | Santa Clara University (NCAA Division I WCC): Soccer (1962–present) Football (NCAA-WFC; 1962–1992) Baseball (1963–2005) Professional sports San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) (2008–2014) FC Gold Pride (WPS) (2009) |
| Capacity | Soccer: 10,525[1] (2008–2015) 7,000[2] (2015–present) |
| Field dimensions | 74 x 115 yds |
Stevens Stadium is a 7,000-seat soccer stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and was the former home of the now defunct Santa Clara football team as well as the Santa Clara baseball team. The stadium is the former home of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. The stadium's capacity was increased in the winter of 2007 from a capacity of 6,800 to 10,300. The stadium was named Buck Shaw Stadium before a renovation in 2015.[3]
Stadium history[]
Stevens Stadium opened its gates for the first time on September 22, 1962 when it hosted a football game between UC Davis and Santa Clara. The stadium was originally named for Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw, a former football coach of the SCU Broncos and the nearby San Francisco 49ers. The playing surface still retains his name to the present day being named the Buck Shaw Field. It was used for football games until 1992 and baseball games until 2005.
In 2005, Stevens Stadium was converted from a multipurpose facility to a soccer-only facility when the dugouts, baseball infield, and baseball backstop were permanently removed from the stadium.
Buck Shaw Stadium in 2003 from above.
Stevens Stadium is the current location of the commencement ceremonies for the university. It was first used for the undergraduate commencement on Saturday, June 9, 2001.
San Jose Earthquakes[]
On October 26, 2007, the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer announced that they would play a majority of their home games during the 2008 season at the stadium. Upgrades such as additional seating and bathrooms were added to the stadium in order for it to comply with MLS standards and funded by the Earthquakes organization over the last part 2008. The capacity was increased from 6,800 seats to 10,300 seats. In addition, the field was moved closer to the existing grandstand, with a small section removed from section 107 to accommodate the shift. The Santa Clara practice field between the Leavey Center and Stevens was replaced with an "Italgrass" artificial turf surface.
Drainage improvements were also made to the stadium's field in concert with the field crown being removed to produce a flat pitch. A new video scoreboard was added along with additional concession and merchandising stands. General facilities were also modernized or improved including the addition of new lighting, a TV press box, new sound system, and an additional grandstand on the stadium's west side. The new grandstand included all of the seating additions made to the stadium. About half of the new grandstand included tip up seating. Overall, the enhancements cost around $4 million.[4]
After the Earthquakes departed for their new Avaya Stadium, the university undertook an improvement project that removed the original east side press box from the stadium as well as the Earthquakes temporary bleachers on the west side of the stadium. In their place a new smaller permanent west side grandstand, press box and entry plaza were installed. Capacity of the stadium was reduced back to 7,000 permanent seats as a result.
References[]
- ↑ Buck Shaw Stadium - SanJose.com.
- ↑ Earthquakes bid farewell to Buck Shaw Stadium (17 October 2014).
- ↑ Completed Projects - Campus Projects - Planning & Projects - University Operations - Santa Clara University.
- ↑ Freedman, Jonah. "Quakes 2.0 finally have a home", Sports Illustrated, 2007-10-26.