San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
STADIUM Ticketing, crowd flow tested
seats and to bars and bathrooms, said John David Wicker, who is SDSU’S director of athletics.
Of course, the school also hopes to dazzle attendees with the bigger picture: A brand-new stadium with premium experiences and a window to what’s next for the entire 166-acre site that many associate with the former San Diego Chargers professional football team.
“This is big time,” said Sarah Eishen, 53, who runs the Marching Aztecs Alumni group and has a tattoo of the school’s mascot behind her right shoulder.
Eishen, who visited the stadium’s exclusive Nova Bar at the Sycuan Piers prior to the start of the scrimmage, dismissed criticism she’s seen on Twitter characterizing the venue as a high school stadium or poorly suited for tailgating.
“I think people are going to be blown away with the stadium,” the Rancho Peñasquitos resident said.
The school has engineered a variety of experiences for people with perks and exclusivity increasing alongside seat price.
The most extravagant seats are those in the four Founders Suites overlooking midfield. The suites require a 15-year commitment for an all-inclusive price tag of $3.75 million and accommodate 30 people.
Suite guests also get access to other premium spaces, including the Piers bars, East and West Clubs, and the Cox Business Field Club. The latter space provides direct field access for game-day selfies, lets people watch as players exit the tunnel and run onto the field, and allows for viewing of post-game press conferences.
San Diego State has sold out all 20 of its luxury boxes, as well as most seats in its premium and club sections, a spokesperson said. The only premium seats remaining are in the East Club and Toyota Terrace.
Everyone, however, has access to social spaces. At the Scoreboard Bar, located on the northwest platform above the press box, visitors can take in elevated and expansive views of Mission Valley and pose for pictures underneath the Snapdragon Stadium sign. And at the ground-level Northeast Corner Dos Equis Bar, people will find concrete chunks from the old stadium, which have been repurposed as pavers.
“I’m amazed that (the stadium) came together. It was fun to watch (SDCCU Stadium) get demolished and this come up like a bit of an erector set,” said Doug Olmstead, 53, a 20-year Chargers season ticket holder and first-time Aztecs season ticket holder.
The Scripps Ranch resident, whose standard ticket does not include club access, said he was impressed with the stadium as he took in the view with his girlfriend from the Scoreboard Bar.
Olmstead reported no major problems with parking or entering the stadium, and is happy with his seat, which is located on the western side of the stadium, which was completely shaded by game time.
“That was by design,” he said of choosing seats on the western side, citing a desire to avoid the heat of the “sunny side.”
The stadium sports a number of hidden gems. For instance, yellow shoe prints pay homage to service members who must stand on similar painted footprints when they first arrive as recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. The school has also saved the seats of Aztecs super fan Tom Ables and found a new home for the statue of Jack Murphy and his dog Abe, which was first unveiled days before the former stadium hosted its third and final Super Bowl. The statue is now located outside the north entrance at Snapdragon Stadium.
There are also handrails in the students section — in case students need to brace themselves while standing and cheering.
“I didn’t want this to be a cookie-cutter football stadium,” Wicker said. “I wanted it to be something that everybody in San Diego can truly come in and find something to grasp onto, and say, ‘Hey, that’s relevant to me.’”
The special touches weren’t lost on 32-year-old Chandra Dixon, who is a first-time Aztecs season ticket holder. Dixon attended Saturday night’s scrimmage with her husband, two kids and other extended family members.
“I’m amazed. I love it. I’m excited to make these memories with my children,” Dixon said, on the verge of tears. “I went to Aztecs games with my great-grandma when I was a kid. So being able to bring (my 5-year-old daughter), it’s like another level.”
Years in the making, the new stadium is a testament to the perseverance of school boosters, as well as San Diegans’ preference to see the hometown institution, and not a competing development team, remake the city’s Mission Valley site. In November 2018, voters endorsed the sale of the stadium site to the university, which went on to purchase 135 acres of land along Friars Road in August 2020 for $88 million. The transaction has been characterized by the city as its largest land sale in recent history.
The entire campus project, known as SDSU Mission Valley, calls for 4,600 residential units, 80 acres of parks and open space, 1.6 million square feet of office and research space, 400 hotel rooms and 95,000 square feet of campus shops. A 34-acre, cityowned river park is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
jennifer.vangrove @sduniontribune.com