Located on 25 acres of land just north of the new Schaal Aquatics Center, the new stadium will provide an attractive west campus entrance on Hutchinson Avenue for the school. Already a world-class university with a growing enrollment, the new venue will provide a variety of needed spectator amenities in addition to the kind of scheduling and seating options necessary for the athletic department’s transition from NCAA Division II to Division I-AA.
The Facilities and Campus Enhancement Initiative (F.A.C.E), which students passed in 1999, provides $18.5 million toward a new stadium with a $7.7 million capital campaign launched in 2002 to help fund the rest. Stadium planning and design already are underway with construction to begin in 2004.
"Each university is unique, and before we even begin to design a new stadium, we try to get to know the campus," says Ellerbe Becket Principal Bill Crockett. “A team of designers is taking a close look at the other buildings and the general ‘flow’ of campus to conceive a stadium that will blend into the UC Davis landscape as well as provide the kind of flexibility that will keep the structure viable for years to come.”
The project’s first phase calls for a 10,000-seat stadium. UC Davis Director of Athletics Greg Warzecka says the stadium will enhance the university’s ability to hold a variety of sporting events. “Most importantly, we will be able to increase scheduling opportunities, increase our seating options and provide a facility that students will be proud of,” he said.
“The stadium will fill a void in the region for different events, from high school to college football, to professional soccer, to a variety of community events,” said Warzecka. “Toomey Field has been host to a lot of Aggie football games, but will change its focus to become the home for track and field.”
The UC Davis athletic program is legendary for its intercollegiate and intramural prowess. The school boasts 25 varsity sports and 31 club sports. More than 800 student-athletes compete on the intercollegiate level and another 14,000 students participate in the 36-sport intramural program. The athletic program is a five-time winner of the coveted NACDA Directors’ Cup – formerly the Sears Directors’ Cup – recognizing the most successful NCAA Division II collegiate athletics program in the country.
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Ellerbe Becket: Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com
UC Davis: Mike Robles, 1-530-752-3680
