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| Former names | Spartan Stadium (1933–2015) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1257 S. 10th Street |
| Location | San Jose, California,U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°19′11″N121°52′6″W / 37.31972°N 121.86833°W /37.31972; -121.86833 |
| Public transit |   Tamien |
| Owner | San Jose State University |
| Operator | San Jose State University |
| Capacity | 18,203 (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) |
| Surface | AstroTurf (2017–present) FieldTurf (2009–2017) Natural grass (1933–2008) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1933 |
| Opened | 1933; 92 years ago (1933) |
| Expanded | 1936–1937, 1948, 1985 |
| Construction cost | US $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 asSpartan Stadium, is an outdoor athletic stadium on thewest coast of theUnited States, located in theSpartan Keyes neighborhood of centralSan Jose, California. Owned bySan José State University, the venue is the longtime home ofSpartan football; it also hosts the university's commencement ceremony on Memorial Day weekend, and occasionalhigh school football games.[2] Known as Spartan Stadium for over eight decades, it was renamed in2016.
CEFCU Stadium was the home of theSan Jose Earthquakes (originally San Jose Clash) ofMajor League Soccer from the league's inception in 1996 through the 2005 season. Other tenants have included the originalSan Jose Earthquakes of theNorth American Soccer League from 1974 to 1984, theSan Jose CyberRays of theWomen's United Soccer Association from 2001 to 2003, and theSan Francisco Dragons ofMajor League Lacrosse in 2008.Soccer Bowl '75 was also held at CEFCU.
During the winter and spring of2009, the stadium's natural grass playing field was removed and replaced withFieldTurf, a new generation ofartificial 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 withAstroTurf Rhino Blend in 2017.[4] The playing field is aligned north-northwest to south-southeast, at an approximateelevation of 100 feet (30 m) abovesea level.
The stadium also received significant upgrades to the scoreboard and sound system in 2011 and 2020.[5] This included installation of anHD videoscreen byDaktronics at the south end of the stadium in 2011, and a new, much larger video board at the north end in 2020.[6][7]
CEFCU stadium officially opened in 1933 as a 4,000-seat facility. The stadium featured large berms on the east, west, north and south sides of the field, which gave the stadium a "sunken bowl" appearance. The stadium's seating capacity was increased to 8,500 in 1936, and later expanded incrementally to a total seating capacity of just over 18,000 by 1948. The most recent additions came in the 1980s when the capacity of the stadium was expanded from approximately 18,000 to just over 31,000 by adding end zone bleachers, an upper deck and boxes on the west side.
In 1998, the field was widened and other renovations were carried out for the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team in accordance with officialFIFA regulations.[8] As a result of these renovations, parts of the stands closest to the playing field were removed, thus lowering available seating for all sports to 30,456.
On January 13, 2007, theSan Jose Mercury News reported that the city of San Jose, San Jose State University and the San Jose Earthquakes owners were in negotiations to demolish Spartan Stadium andbuild a new stadium just to the east. The new facility, to have 22,000 permanent seats but be expandable to a capacity of 30,000 for single games, would have been privately built byLewis Wolff andJohn Fisher, the primary owners of the Earthquakes, with San Jose State providing the needed land. Additionally, the team and the university would build community soccer fields across Senter Road inKelley Park using San Jose municipal bond money that had been approved years earlier for the purpose but never spent. The plan was for the new version of the San Jose Earthquakes to play in Spartan Stadium during the 2008 MLS season, then move into the new stadium in 2009. Plans for the stadium collapsed on April 19, 2007 after the Earthquakes and SJSU could not come to an agreement on revenue sharing.[9]
Seating capacity remained at 30,456 until 2019, when it was temporarily reduced to 21,520 as part of a massive east-side stadium renovation project that included construction of the $70 million Spartan Athletic Center.
In August 2016,Citizens Equity First Credit Union purchased sole naming rights to Spartan Stadium for $8.7 million. The deal between CEFCU and San José State University will last for 15 years. SJSU was the first university in theCalifornia State University system and second university in the state of California to strike such a deal.[10] The CEFCU sponsorship deal marked the third such arrangement among the 12Mountain West Conference football members.[11] The $8.7 million payout will primarily be used for athletic scholarships, athletics operations, and athletics facilities.[12]
A CEFCU Stadium east-side building addition was completed in August 2023 at an approximate cost of $70 million.[13] Known as the Spartan Athletics Center, the 55,000 square-foot, multi-story facility houses a new football operations center, locker rooms, offices, meeting and training rooms and a sports medicine center.[14] The facility also includes soccer team offices and locker rooms, as well as dining and hospitality facilities, event spaces and premium viewing areas.[15]
The east-side stadium renovation has temporarily reduced seating capacity at CEFCU Stadium from just over 30,000 to 21,520.[16] Approximately 9,000 seats were removed from the stadium in 2019 to make way for the new building. This includes virtually all of the east-side stadium seating and some of the north end zone bleachers. The north end zone bleachers were removed to make way for construction of a new state-of-the-art video scoreboard and outdoor bar and lounge area. The new scoreboard was completed in 2020.
As of 2023, a second phase of the east-side building and renovation project remains in the planning stages. The second phase is aimed at replacing spectator seating that was removed to make way for the SAC.
The now defunct NCAASilicon Valley Football Classic bowl game was held at CEFCU Stadium from 2000 to 2004.
CEFCU Stadium has hosted numerous FIFA events. Most notably the stadium was used as one of the venues for the1999 Women's World Cup. Additionally in 1999, the stadium was the host site of the1999 NCAA Women's College Cup.
The stadium previously hosted commencement ceremonies of San José State University every spring, as well as musical concerts throughout the year.
| Date | Competition | Team | Res | Team | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14, 1986 | International Friendly |  Mexico | 1–2 |  East Germany | 6,000 |
| May 16, 1998 | International Friendly |  United States | 0–0 |  North Macedonia | 23,861 |
| November 6, 1998 | International Friendly | United States | 0–0 |  Australia | 15,074 |
| September 27, 2000 | International Friendly | Mexico | 1–0 |  Bolivia | 30,154 |
| June 2, 2007 | International Friendly | United States | 4–1 |  China | 20,821 |
| Date | Competition | Team | Res | Team | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 19, 1999 | Group C |  Japan | 1–1 |  Canada | 23,298 |
| June 19, 1999 | Group D |  Sweden | 1–2 | China | 23,298 |
| June 30, 1999 | Quarterfinals | China | 2–0 |  Russia | 21,411 |
| June 30, 1999 | Quarterfinals |  Norway | 3–1 | Sweden | 21,411 |
CEFCU Stadium is only one block from several local professional sports teams and arenas, including:
| Preceded by first stadium | Home of the San Jose Earthquakes 1996–2005 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theCollege Cup 1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of theWomen's College Cup 1999–2000 | Succeeded by |
Located in:San Jose, California | |||||||
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Established: 1857 –Endowment: 242 million –Students: 37,661 –California State University | |||||||
