News

Jan 09, 2024

Snapdragon Stadium receives rave reviews, but still needs some work

Signs. They need more signs at Snapdragon Stadium. Several of them directing

Signs.

They need more signs at Snapdragon Stadium.

Several of them directing fans to entrances, to sections, to seats. Even a sign, one would presume, for the Orange parking lot that reads: "Pardon our dust."

And soap.

They needed soap at Saturday's "soft" opening.

"In some areas we had to bring in soap because the soap dispensers didn't have electricity to them," said John David Wicker, SDSU's director of athletics.

Those were two of the takeaways from SDSU's scrimmage, the first event for the new 35,000-capacity stadium.

SDSU sent tickets and parking passes to its 15,000 season-ticket holders, along with other invited guests, hoping to get close to 20,000 people to "stress" the building ahead of SDSU's season opener Sept. 3 against Arizona.

Wicker said the estimated 10,000 people who did show up were plenty enough.

"We definitely learned a lot about the site," Wicker said. "Any issues that we found, we’ll work hard to address and help people have the best time they possibly can. ...

"Everyone seemed to enjoy the building. There were lots of happy smiles. We had a record-breaking day for merchandise (at the SDSU Team Store). We never had a team store before. Could never work it out with the Chargers to use their space."

What follows are some insights from Wicker, observations from a media member (me), the head coach and a senior wide receiver as well as comments solicited on social media from those who attended the scrimmage.

A sampling of Twitter responses:

@AztecsDominate: "Amazing sight lines, awesome team store, plenty of food & drink options, social spaces, scoreboard and sound system are top notch, parking in/out was pretty easy. ...

"Negatives — with tailgating, need more portapottys & trash cans in and around parking lots.

"More Red/Black wraps and SDSU branding around stadium to cover the exposed concrete. Also change the light gray seats in field level & student section because it blends w/exposed concrete."

@sdsportsfiend: "Pros: The sight lines: no bad seats. Bigger venue than I expected. Can't wait until we have a full house. Nice food & beverage options. I love the vibe in the South end zone."

Cons: Orange lot (gravel).

@GetCrackShacked how do you run out of hot sauce before kickoff?"

@shaka_buddha_: "It was spectacular. I have a feeling by the time we pack up the tailgate we’ll be quite dusted over, similar to OTL, so more local flavor."

@fightforsd: "The stadium is awesome. Every seat in the house is good. Can't wait to see it packed at night with the lights on! Lots of special touches all over.

"The gravel lot was very dusty (I’m assuming it's the ground up ruins of the Murph), would be much better paved.

@LongLiveMonty: "Amazing stadium. So many positives. Negatives. DG (decomposed granite) surfaces have to go. I’ve had discussions with State Architect before that it's not ADA (compliant). Not firm, stable and slip resistant. Get rid of the tip option at a lot of the (food and drink) locations."

@MrMariano310 tweeted: "Great seats, love the open concourse to walk around, like the murals in the stadium, section 205 is missing cup holders at the end of the row while 206 has it (higher price point), limited access to certain areas ... foul odor in certain areas."

About that smell ...

@IamKRISKEEHL tweeted back: "I think the foul odor was freshly placed mulch. At least, that's what I’m hoping for (fingers crossed emoji)."

The Orange parking lot received far and away the most negative attention.

Wicker said the cost to pave it would have been "significant," so the decision was made for it to be gravel.

It could be a grin — and cough — and bear it situation for the 2022 season.

The parking situation throughout the site will be fluid as other construction begins.

Residential and retail construction (450 homes and 30,000 square feet of retail) could begin as soon as the second half of 2023 in the northwest portion of the Orange Lot, which played a role in the decision not to pave the area (only to rip it up a year later).

Much of the tailgating concerns could be eliminated in time for the 2023 season, when most of the river parks are expected to be completed.

The parks will be located in the southwest section of the site, meaning tailgating won't be right next to your tailgate.

It will provide a new tailgate experience, with large grass areas providing ample space and ambiance for pregame get-togethers.

Another Orange Lot issue was postgame congestion exiting the stadium, although that is expected to be solved when the northeast and southeast exits are available. They were not completed in time for the scrimmage.

"We’re told those will be complete by Sept. 3," Wicker said.

• Snapdragon is a cashless venue. There are reverse ATMs at the northwest and southeast entrances, allowing fans to exchange cash for debit cards.

• All the food and drink options were almost universally praised (OK, there was some sticker shock at the prices). The nearly dozen different local vendors were augmented by three food trucks. Rotating the food trucks provides additional flexibility in menu items.

• Wicker said a good number of fans who parked in the Yellow lot south of the stadium were confused on which way to enter the stadium. Some fans who went to the west entrance — which is a premium entry — were redirected to the southeast entrance.

• SDSU officials tried for years to get the video board at SDCCU Stadium upgraded — even offering to chip in for the improvement — but the requests fell on deaf ears. Going from boards that dated to the last century to the state-of-the-art boards positioned on the northwest and southeast corners is one of the single greatest improvements.

• Several fans in recent months inquired about the possibility of a shuttle from the trolley station to the stadium. Paced it off on Saturday: The trolley station is 500 steps (400 steps if you take the elevator down from Level 2 to Level 1) to the stadium's southeast entrance.

That's less than a quarter of a mile.

• One longtime fan, noting the incline of the upper level steps: "I could not find sherpas to help get me to my seat. A tad steep."

Said Wicker: "It's steep, definitely steeper than what you would have been used to in the old building, and we designed it that way. We wanted people to really be on top of the action. ...

"The upper deck you are on top of the action. It is a great place to watch the game."

• Some fans complained that elevators on the west side were not working and questioned — since there are no escalators — whether it will be problematic getting to seats in a timely manner for those with disabilities who are joined by those who don't want to take the stairs.

"We had some elevator issues that we will continue to work through," Wicker said. "We’ll probably have issues on Sept. 3 on a variety of things. When things haven't been stressed, sometimes there's going to be a failure until you get it dialed in.

"We’ll continue to ask for patience from folks and when we run into a challenge, we’ll address it immediately.

"We did all the calculations and are comfortable that we have the appropriate number of elevators."

Players emerging from "The Hype Tunnel" under the stands at the 50-yard line — borrowed from the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium — was an immediate hit with fans.

The players run onto the field's Latitude 36 Bermuda grass that received two thumbs-up:

From SDSU head coach Brady Hoke: "The grass is really short, which I like, because that makes you faster."

From SDSU wide receiver Jesse Matthews: "This grass feels like fairway grass on a golf course. It's unbelievable. It's very firm, but in a good way.

"I remember in Carson we had some issues with the turf where you’d lose your footing all the time.

"This grass I feel like you can really get your foot down... This is top of the line."

There are several nods to the past throughout Snapdragon, whether it be the old stadium, the Mission Valley site or the city itself.

Among several brightly colored murals is one on a wall on the east stands that highlights a Tony Gwynn quote: "Remember these two things: Play hard and have fun."

The wall outside the SDSU Team Store located at the southeast entrance has a mural that read "San Diego," with the sun setting behind a sandy beach, framed by a neon palm tree on the west and desert cactus on the east.

The statue of former San Diego Union sports editor and columnist Jack Murphy was brought over from the south side of the old stadium and now greets visitors outside the north side.

The concrete pavers in the food truck area in the northeast corner are actually pieces of concrete from the old stadium.

At both the northwest and southeast entrances there is a row of blue chairs from the old stadium.

"I was surprised as I was walking around," Wicker said, "at the number of people who were like, ‘Oh, those are old Qualcomm (Stadium) seats.’ "

Wicker said some finishing touches are still to come, like paintings of fighter jets on the underside of some of the west stairways.

Then there's this:

The Aztecs had former running back Tyler Campbell, who is now a motivational speaker, talk to the team Sunday night.

At one point, Wicker overheard Campbell, an Austin, Texas, native, speaking to another Texan about cows, of all things.

"He's coming back for the first game with his family," Wicker said. "I challenged him to find the cow in the football stadium."

Campbell looked at the AD like, "What?"

And Wicker said, "The cow. There's a full-size dairy cow painted somewhere in the stadium. Find it.

"It pays homage that Mission Valley used to be dairy farms."