CEFCU Stadium

CEFCU Stadium
Aerial View
Map
San Jose is located in the United States
San Jose
San Jose
Location in the United States
San Jose is located in California
San Jose
San Jose
Location in California
Former namesSpartan Stadium
(1933–2015)
Address1257 S. 10th Street
LocationSan Jose, California, U.S.
Coordinates37°19′11″N 121°52′6″W / 37.31972°N 121.86833°W / 37.31972; -121.86833
Public transitSanta Clara Valley Transportation Authority Caltrain Tamien
OwnerSan Jose State University
OperatorSan Jose State University
Capacity18,203 (2021-present)
21,530 (2019–2020)
30,456 (1998–2018)
31,218 (1985–1997)
18,155 (1948–1984)
11,000 (1937–1947)
  8,500 (1936)
  4,000 (1933–1935)
SurfaceAstroTurf (2017–present)
FieldTurf (2009–2017)
Natural grass (1933–2008)
Construction
Broke ground1933
Opened1933; 91 years ago (1933)
Expanded1936–1937, 1948, 1985
Construction costUS $2.25 million (1985 expansion)[1]
Tenants
San Jose State Spartans (NCAA) (1933–present)
San Jose Earthquakes (NASL/WSA)
(1974–1988)
San Francisco Bay Blackhawks/San Jose Hawks (WSA/APSL/USISL) (1989–1993)
San Jose Clash/Earthquakes (MLS) (1996–2005)
Bay Area/San Jose CyberRays (WUSA)
(2001–2003)
Silicon Valley Football Classic (NCAA)
(2000–2004)
San Francisco Dragons (MLL) (2008)
California Redwoods (UFL) (2009)

CEFCU ('sef-kyü) Stadium, formerly known as Spartan Stadium, is an outdoor athletic stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in the Spartan Keyes neighborhood of central San Jose, California. Owned by San José State University, the venue is the longtime home of Spartan football; it also hosts the university's commencement ceremony on Memorial Day weekend, and occasional high school football games.[2] Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in 2016.

CEFCU Stadium was the home of the San Jose Earthquakes (originally San Jose Clash) of Major League Soccer from the league's inception in 1996 through the 2005 season. Other tenants have included the original San Jose Earthquakes of the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1984, the San Jose CyberRays of the Women's United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003, and the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse in 2008. Soccer Bowl '75 was also held at CEFCU.

During the winter and spring of 2009, the stadium's natural grass playing field was removed and replaced with FieldTurf, a new generation of artificial turf with a crumb rubber and sand infill.[3] This improvement resulted in significant savings to the university in water use, fertilizer, seed and labor. The FieldTurf playing surface was later replaced with AstroTurf Rhino Blend in 2017.[4] The playing field is aligned north-northwest to south-southeast, at an approximate elevation of 100 feet (30 m) above sea level.

The stadium also received significant upgrades to the scoreboard and sound system in 2011 and 2020.[5] This included installation of an HD video screen by Daktronics at the south end of the stadium in 2011, and a new, much larger video board at the north end in 2020.[6][7]

  1. ^ Herb Muktarian (September 6, 1985). "Project's 3-year history outlined". SJSU ScholarWorks. Spartan Daily. p. 3. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  2. ^ "Campus Grounds: South Campus". SJSU Athletics. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  3. ^ "Spartan Stadium Field Turf Project Underway". SJSU Spartans. San Jose State University. January 11, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "San José State University Football Upgrades to AstroTurf". astroturf.com. AstroTurf. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "SJSU in the News: Spartan Stadium Upgrades Scoreboards, Sound System | SJSU News". Blogs.sjsu.edu. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  6. ^ "25 New College Football Systems". Daktronics.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  7. ^ "Spartans Upgrade CEFCU Stadium With State-of-the-Art Scoreboard". SJSU. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2021.