Buck Shaw Field | |
 View of the stadium in 2010 | |
 | |
| Former names | Buck Shaw Stadium (1962–2015) |
|---|---|
| Address | 500El Camino Real |
| Location | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°21′2″N121°56′12″W / 37.35056°N 121.93667°W /37.35056; -121.93667 |
| Public transit | Santa Clara Station |
| Owner | Santa Clara University |
| Operator | Santa Clara University |
| Capacity | Soccer: 10,525[1] (2008–2015) 7,000[2] (2015–present) |
| Field size | 74 by 115 yd (68 by 105 m) |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1961 |
| Opened | September 22, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-09-22) |
| Construction cost | $4 million (2008 upgrades) ($5.84 million in 2024[3]) |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| santaclarabroncos.com/stevensstadium | |
Stevens Stadium is a 7,000-seatsoccerstadium on thewest coast of theUnited States, located on the campus ofSanta Clara University inSanta Clara,California. The stadium is the current home of theSanta Clara Broncos soccer teams and was the former home of the now-defunctfootball team as well as thebaseball team. The baseball team moved to their new home atStephen Schott Stadium in 2005.
The former home of theSan Jose Earthquakes ofMajor League Soccer, the stadium's capacity was increased in the winter of 2007 from a capacity of 6,800 to 10,300. It was named "Buck Shaw Stadium" up until a renovation was done in 2015.[4]
Buck Shaw Stadium opened its gates for the first time on September 22, 1962 when it hosted a football game betweenUC Davis and Santa Clara. Named forLawrence T. "Buck" Shaw, a former football coach of the SCU Broncos, the playing surface still retains his name to the present day, being named "Buck Shaw Field". The stadium was used for football games until 1992 and baseball games until 2005.
In summer of 1981 the stadium was the main venue for the1981 World Games, an international multi-sport event.[5]
During the1994 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was the official practice field of theBrazil soccer team. The Brazilians won the World Cup that year. It also played host to theRomanian national team for their practice prior to that year's quarterfinal match.
Stevens Stadium set a record for highest attendance at a women's outdoor collegiate sporting event in 1996. The1996 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament semifinals and finals were played at Buck Shaw, which had its capacity temporarily expanded to 8,800 seats and sold out both days of the tournament.[6] The championship game attendance record was broken the following year in1997 atUNCG Soccer Stadium inGreensboro, North Carolina.[7]
In 2005, the venue was converted from a multipurpose facility to a soccer-only facility when the dugouts, baseball infield, and baseball backstop were permanently removed. The name was changed to "Stevens Stadium" following a renovation project in 2015; the project was funded by a $7.7 million donation from alumna Mary Stevens and her husband Mark.[8]
The stadium is the current location of the commencement ceremonies for the university. The site was first used for the undergraduate commencement on Saturday, June 9, 2001.
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On October 26, 2007, theSan Jose Earthquakes ofMajor 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 theLeavey 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.[9]
After the Earthquakes departed for their newAvaya 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.
In 2009, the stadium also hostedFC Gold Pride, one of the sevencharter teams ofWomen's Professional Soccer. However, Gold Pride moved toCastro Valley High School, and thenPioneer Stadium inHayward, for the 2010 season.[10]
In 2021, the stadium hosted theCollege Cup final that determinated the winner the2021 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament. In that match,Florida State defeatedBYU bypenalty shoot-out to win their third NCAA national title.[11][12] scored the goal for the 4–3 win on penalties that gave Florida State its third national title.[13]
The stadium has also hosted several internationalrugby union matches. In 2006, Buck Shaw hosted three pool matches in theChurchill Cup competition, becoming the first U.S. venue to host matches in that tournament (all matches in the 2003–2005 editions had been in Canada).
In May 2009 the stadium again hosted an international rugby match, with 10,000 fans turning out to watch the game between theUnited States andIreland.[14]
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 3, 2006 | United States  | 13–28 |  Ireland A | 2006 Churchill Cup | 3,700 | [15] |
| June 8, 2006 | United States | 6–74 |  Māori All Blacks | 2006 Churchill Cup | 3,562 | [16] |
| June 10, 2006 | Māori All Blacks | 27–6 | Ireland A | 2006 Churchill Cup | ||
| July 1, 2006 | United States | 91–0 |  Barbados | 2007 Rugby World Cup qualifying | [17] | |
| May 31, 2009 | United States | 10–27 | Ireland | 2009 Setanta Challenge Cup | 10,000 | [18][19][20] |
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer 1962–present | Succeeded by current stadium |
| Preceded by unknown | Home of the Santa Clara Broncos baseball 1962–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by unknown | Home of the Santa Clara Broncos football 1962–1992 | Succeeded by final stadium |
| Preceded by | Home of the Women's College Cup 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Home of the San Jose Earthquakes 2008–2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of FC Gold Pride 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCAA women's soccer final 2021 | Succeeded by WakeMed Soccer Park |
