Personally, I agree, but from a crowd perspective, they were ideal. The first five times they sang "ohhhhhh, San Jose" there was dead silence all around me, but by the 10th or 12th repetition, I could hear others singing too. Sort of like learning a foreign language. Keep it basic, lots of repetition. Maybe by June/July--when we start having a lot of home games--the crowd will be ready for songs that have 2 or 3 lines.
Section 103 at halfway line, on the aisle row 11 - could see the Casbah could not see the Ultras, (except I could see the streamers the Ultras threw flying through the air). Entering the stands from the tailgate are we walked past the Ultras as they were being filmed 15 minutes before kickoff, and walking past a cheering group with flags created an atmosphere right off the bat. I couldn't hear the Ultras much during the game from my seat. When the Casbah sang/cheered I could always hear them but on anything complicated I couldn't understand the words. "Go San Jose" was one song that was heard and got some repetition from our area when some near us joined in.
Our tailgate food experience was not too good. Ordered a $5 hot dog... sorry sir, we're out of them. Ok then, $7 chicken sandwich. Coming right up! Oh, sorry sir, we're out of those. OK, $7 hamburger please. OK. Would you like cheese on that? Well, OK I'll have cheese. Back at the seat with a small burger and what proved to be a cold piece of cheese that must have been pulled from a freezer. Not reasonable or good. The four of us will not use that tailgate area again. However, the guy selling the food was extremely nice and pleasant!
Some posters may complain about the KFC Kickin' for Chicken race and mini-bucket throwing during halftime, but I had absolutely no problem with it (though I wonder why the Blue Crew was throwing the mini-buckets into the crowd when they should've been kickin' them ). I'm actually quite thrilled that the San Jose Earthquakes finally has a local alliance with a well-known national franchise sponsor such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, much like D.C. United has with Burger King and the Chicago Fire has with McDonald's (and I'm sure some other MLS teams as well). Not that the Earthquakes shouldn't also team up with local sponsors, but the general public definitely knows who KFC is! GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
"Did you all notice that there were two types of cotton candy vendors in the stands, one with pink cotton candy and the other with multi-colored cotton candy. Trippy. Never really associated cotton candy with soccer, but maybe it's a Buck Shaw thing." Again, I was overall impressed, but the vendor situation needs to be tightened up. If food lines are long, and nobody is buying the strange cotton candy (whose only purpose is to block views while vendor is pacing front walkway), doesnt it make sense to sling hot dogs or hamburgers in the stands? As for sugar snacks, they need to bring back the chocolate malts with the frisbee lids.
Can they re-route these people walking in front of the stands? we were sitting on the first 3 rows and it was extremely annoying to have people constantly walking and popcorn dealing infront of you. I paid $5 for a small hot coco that wasn't even hot.
First row, section 108 here. YES, the constant foot traffic along the front aisle is killing the gameday experience! BLOCK THE AISLE OFF AT THE START OF EACH HALF AND MAKE 'EM USE THE UPSTAIRS WALKWAY!!!! (handicapped accepted, of course.) Vendors...don't need them. I can live with them if they keep moving. Sorry for those of you who had them camp in your sightline. Love the changes made to the stadium (video screen, wider stadium floor, new stands) Hate the repressive beer-only-in-this-area policy and the price hike on jerseys at the concession stand (nearly double the online price.) Thrilled to have our team back! However, the gameday experience I love became troublingly different when: I arrived and wasn't allowed to tailgate with my friends outside the stadium, enjoying as much food and drink as we pleased--instead, having to pay $8 for a beer and only being allowed to drink it in a designated place. Couldn't buy the black jersey that I was reluctant to accept anyway because the price was excessive. Got to my seats before kickoff and the first play I saw without people walking in front of me came in the 21st minute. BTW, halftime cattle drive started in the 37th minute. *Sigh* This was not as fun as I was wanting/expecting it to be. I can learn to drink my fewer, overpriced beers inside the ropes and be at peace with it. I will adjust to "old-fashioned tailgate parties" becoming "pre-game cocktails on the green" with friends but the deal-breaker for me is going to be the damned foot traffic blocking my view. That HAS to be fixed or the changes to the experience will be enough to make me stop coming...sorry to say.
Sat up high in Section B (3 rows from the back) - had a great view of the entire field and no problems with people blocking us. If I were to get season tickets, this is probably where I'd want them. Ryan Cochrane and a few other players that weren't dressed for the match sat one row in front of us for part of the 2nd half. Props to both supporters groups for the cheering - we could hear both the Casbah and the Ultras loud and clear, and they added a lot to the atmosphere. People were somewhat quiet in our section during the first half, but I think the free double-double coupons got people excited for the second half. Concession lines were long and slow, and there was very little space inside the stadium if you weren't in your seats. Overall, I was very pleased with the experience, and I'm looking forward to taking in more games at Buck Shaw this season.
And it doesn't seem like its all the Event Staffs fault for the foot traffic. From what I saw in 101, they were trying to route people up the stairs, but alot of our fellow fans were being a$$holes and refused to comply. Now I understand about the guy who came through in a wheelchair, but we need some Event Staff that isn't used to just Santa Clara University sporting events (which was the case). Its kind of ironic, right? When the ushers are too nice and let everything fly, we all complain about people blocking our views. Have some backbone!
As for access for the stadium, from where I was located it seemed as if fans could only access seats from the ground level. I had no idea there was an upper access until some of the latter comments. Fans tend to want a short walk to and from the restrooms/concessions and will do what they will to have easy access, even if it means blocking other's view. I know this will irritate a few, but Spartan's layout and design was still much better for this reason. As for the idea of holding fans during play like the Shark's games, hockey has many more stoppages of play which also last longer. Holding fans from accessing seats would cause a problem for the fire marshall who was present last night and was paying close attention to these issues. The rails are going to have to stay, along the front row, and many of you did not see parents allow their kids to climb under them and sit along the wall. This will have to change for future games because this is a far worse security problem than there was at Spartan. The ushers are volunteers for the Earthquakes, not employees of the stadium. So if there was a difference between the ones at BS compared to Spartan, well, it's an issue other than the stadium. Another comment was made about the security in the stadium. Staff Pro is the company that supplies the people on the field with the yellow jackets...guess what? Same group, but many of them were new and didn't know what to do - like the one who kept running onto the field (during play) to remove the streamers from the Dallas goal while the Quakes had the ball in the attacking zone. It was great to see many familiar faces in the crowd, but it was extremely frustrating to deal with the soccer virgins - like the guy who thought you got to keep the balls that went into the stands (he's now a hater of the Staff Pro security people as much as many of you didn't like them in Spartan, because they made him give the ball back). With all the high-tech gizmos added to a soccer stadium, it would have been nice to have seen a spot for shots and saves on the scoreboard. IT would also have been nice for the visiting team to have had a locker room for them. They had most of the general accomodations (showers, etc.) but they only had benches in their locker room with no place to hang uniforms or their clothes.
Our seats are 4th row in 108 on the far side of the row away from the Casbah. The only thing I could hear from them was the drumming. I don't know if it's just the acoustics of where we were sitting relative to them, but I thought it was really odd because I could hear them loud and clear at Spartan from halfway around the stadium. I could hear the Ultras when they clapped, but couldn't hear their singing either. I could see them, though, and they looked great!
It wasn't "perfect", but, it is a nice little ground and the logistics will get better with experience. In fact considering that it was the first game I think it went well. For those you said they won't go back I don't understand that. If I had the resources I would fly in from Raleigh every game. The team is back. I'd rather have a few inconveniences than no team. I thought the police and outside organisation was good. My flight was delayed and I did not leave SFO until 6:15, managed to get parking close to the ground, got through the turnstiles and into my seat in time for the National Anthem. I think that was impressive. Also, leaving the game and parking lot was well organised and simple. It takes me a lot longer to get out of Carolina RailHawks USL1 games with the half the crowd. -Richard
The lower walkway entry/exit point at section 101 is a perfect storm of fan congestion...fans entering the stadium gate, fans entering/exiting the bathrooms, fans standing in line at the concession booth, fans on their way to/from the beer garden & tailgate zone...it totally blew.
Routing people to the upper stairs is fine...unless you're sitting in the first three rows of the upper section. Moving people from the lower walkway to the upper one is robbing peter to pay paul. The only thing that will ever solve this is to have the walkway not be at the first row of seats at either level, but this doesn't seem to be in the cards at least this season.
My ticket rep is going to hate me. anyone in the first row of the upper section on the west side cant see a thing. Of course there would be foot traffic. But why would they think it is ok to have the last row of the lower section at the same level of the first row in the upper.
Another thing I was damn proud of was the very noticeable sea of blue (particularly jerseys) in the stands around the stadium! Absolutely well done! GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Could hear both the Casbah and the Ultras from section D. Casbah was louder but we're closer to them. I know there were plans to do some coordinated cheers and I think there's huge potential in that. An investment in something like these may be helpful. Kudos to Scott (known as tectonicnight 'round these parts) for getting the cross-field "EARTH" "QUAKES" chant going late in the game. I really thought that might push the players just enough for a late goal. Same thing happened to our little group in '05. It was our first year out of the Casbah and we used to join in with the Casbah chants fairly often. The result was stares from our neighbors the first game, with a few joining in over the next few games. Eventually they started joining in on their own, even if we weren't singing. Give it time and they'll come around.
OK my 2 cents: -Food sucked. I had a chicken sandwich that reminded me of the Where's the Beef commercial. That was the smallest chicken breast I have ever seen (mutant chicken) but the bun was big and fluffy -I already wrote in another thread that the foot traffic and packed sardine feel wasn't so great. What's with all the moving in and out? People would spend 5 mins tripping over everyone and blocking their view only to sit down for 10 mins and get up to do it all over again -I LOVED seeing all the fans after 2+ years of not being able to go to games. It was nice seeing familiar faces. -Both supporters sections were very cool -I enjoyed my favorite cheer -EARTH and QUAKES back and forth. How about starting it in the 1st half? -Will there be no Blue Crew or Tremor Girls? -Will they resume the practice of shooting out tee shirts with that slingshot and the players kicking out the balls before the 2nd half? -I didn't see Q anywhere. Was he roaming around with his crazy smile? It was amusing to see him startle small children when he tried to hug them Overall, great atmosphere and a fun time!
I can handle the long concession lines. I can handle not being allowed to drink during the games I can handle people walking in front of me through the walkway. I cannot handle my shins planted firmly in the back of the guy in front of me, nor the shins of the person in back of me planted unforgivingly in mine. As someone else said, even if everyone in the row stood up, there is still not enough room to move down the aisle and get to your seat. Unless this is addressed, (and I don't know how it could), there's no way I'm subjecting myself to that for an entire season next year. I'll go to some games, but I just can't take that for every game. Sorry Earthquakes, but I gotta wait for the new stadium. Definitely regretting my season ticket purchase.
Was it me or the "Earth" "Quakes" chant seemed louder that it typically does at Spartan? (I sit in section D) I also loved the fact that the chants were spontaneously done by fans rather than orchestrated by hired staff. I didn't see this brought up by others, but we had difficulty getting out of Lot A after the game. It was a lot easier at Spartan.... Overall, great atmosphere though. Definitely lot better than the Coliseum....
People are complaining too much - not that some of the complaints don't have merit. Overall everything was very, very positive. As for seating, a glance at the stadium specs made me realise I wanted to be up a little higher, and in the middle of the section with no aisles. We're in row 6, section 104, which gave us enough of a vantage to see over the foot traffic. As for the late-comers, well I was one. I came from my son's soccer tournament, but I pulled off the highway 40 minutes before game time. And I didn't get to my seat until 9 minutes into the half. Parking was horribly marked and we wound up being directed into dead ends. We finally parked on the street blocks away and had to walk over. Some of that will be helped as they figure out better ways to handle traffic and as we become more familiar with the parking. But that aside, I think the atmosphere was great, the pitch was beautiful and the scoreboard was a very welcome addition to Quakeland. The seats are too cramped, however. But I am 6 foot 3, so I'm used to being cramped. On another note--I found the staff at the Coliseum game very friendly. I have no idea what people are complaining about there. Three of four separate people I dealt with were great.
All I can say is .......................THANK YOU LEW WOLFF ! ! ! cause you are doing an excellent job can't complain about anything cause there's no such thing as perfection ! ! ! we can't have it all ............. we're lucky to even have a team so soon enough........... by the way I saw both Lew & the commissioner on their way into the stadium shaked their hands & thanked both of them
This would have been a "smallish" Spartan crowd but had a much higher density at BS. That certainly helped with the sound. I also think that the University stands people really wanted to do that chant so when it was finally organized they really let loose. It should be standard procedure that that chant is started right before both kickoffs.
I believe IBT was referring to the upper walkway on the ElCamino side. He might not realize how bad it was on both levels of the University side.
The Buck gave us a great atmosphere, but it was just too tight for me. Not just the stands either, the whole place was a little too small. Felt like a sardine most of the game. And I'll agree the foot traffic in the front rows was annoying. But at least it was loud and most views are closer than Spartan. I suppose now that we know what to expect, future games will probably work out a little better. Overall I'd give it a B-