Inform an Idiot (Buck Shaw)

This is a solid interim plan...a great campus with a long and illustrious soccer tradition. Definately missing the big new stadium amenities but with the proposed upgrades, it will do nicely, I'm sure.

And yes, it's 5-10 miles from downtown San Jose...great location!

Go Quakes!

 

Go to Mapquest or Google Maps and look up Santa Clara University. You will see railroad tracks running close by. The other side of the tracks, between the tracks and the airport, is in San Jose and is where the Quakes intend to build their new stadium.

 

According to Mapquest, from San Jose City Hall in downtown San Jose, it is 3.7 miles driving distance to Santa Clara University.

 

You could probably throw a rock into SJ from Buck Shaw.

 

Only the most obtuse fans would not be happy with this as a temporary venue. We've suffered thru 2 MLS seasons without OUR TEAM.

I'm sure some would be just as happy if they announced that they were going back to Spartan, but that just ain't happening given the breakdown of negotiations between Wolff and San Jose St.

Geographically, Buck Shaw is literally only a few hundred yards from were the new stadium will be. A half mile away roughly, depending on where they put the stadium on the parcel of land.

 

Actually it's only 3 miles according to Google. And it's about 1000 feet from the San Jose city line.

 

Buck Shaw Stadium is a converted Baseball Field - soccer is played lengthwise along the former third base side. As is, the stadium's bleacher type seating is for about a 1000 people, has one small concession area, few restrooms and parking for the 1000 - not 6000.

San Jose State's Spartan Stadium, while having a narrow field which could easily be widened (for maybe a mil or 2 and about 4 months work)(what will be needed to upgrade Buck Shaw to 6000 seats), seats 25K, has concessions all over, restrooms and parking for the 25K.

Using Buck Shaw instead of Spartan is cutting ur nose off to spite ur face.

Looking at the picture, it doesn't look much wider than Spartan - the Centerfield wall pinches the width.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:SantaClaraStadium1.PNG

 

Spartan has parking for 16000, restrooms for 14000 and concessions for 12000 in all practicality.

 

douche

 

I think you should take a look at the plans for Buck Shaw at soccersiliconvalley.com, in the blog. At this point I think that's a much better frame of reference than an old picture of the stadium, still showing a baseball infield, etc. I don't think the existing stands would seat only 1000 people. The small temporary stand that they're planning on putting behind the other goal is for 1000. The existing permanent stands look like they would hold 6x that or so.

The plan they are showing has a 75 yard field width. I don't think they are lying about it. The old outfield fence, if it's still there, will have to come down to accommodate the training field and temporary stands.

As for parking, it's an issue, but the plan shows about 1000 space in 3 different lots, and there are probably more around campus.

As for widening Spartan, that's great and all, but Spartan is SJSU's football stadium. You don't just go widening the field w/o their buy-in, and I'm not sure why they'd want it wider for football. And this gets to the main reason that the Quakes are playing at Buck Shaw. Their needs line up much better with SCU than they ever did with SJSU's. Yes Spartan is much better equipped in a lot of ways, but EQLLC feels like they can make Buck Shaw work as a small soccer stadium for the short term.

 

The center field wall won't exist come April. Also the field will be shifted toward the turn in the existing grandstand giving it even more room.

As for Spartan, where do you see any room at Spartan Stadium to do any expansion of the field

 

chuckinca, right now, as we speak, Buck Shaw seats 6k and change, expandable to 8,400. With the plans shown here, the stadium will seat about 12K. The field really is 75 yards wide, it's not crowned, and we won't be getting screwed financially either.

As for Spartan, yeah we had a lot of nice years there, but they want way too much money in rent. Also, you can't widen the field with out either cutting further into the west side stands (the nicer side), or completely tearing down the east side stands. Also, some were saying that any improvements to Spartan would necessarily have to conform to handicap access laws, and then you're into a completely new stadium. So I don't think we could make a few improvements to Spartan and get away with just a little.

This is a new era in San José soccer, it's time for a new stadium, even if it's only temporary.

GOOOO QUAAAAAKES!!!!!

- Mark

 

JCUnited, I see from your info there that you're 2 miles east of Jackass, IN. I'm from ArmPit, IN, myself, but a lot of people had another name for it, saying that if God wanted to give the world an enema, he'd stick it in there.

 

I believe you are misinformed. Even the Wikipedia link you posted lists the permanent capacity at 6800 (although the info has obviously been updated within the past week or so, but I know the 6800 number has not been changed). The NCAA Women's Final Four tournament was at Buck Shaw a few years ago and the capacity was temporarily upgraded to 8000 for that.

Parking is an issue. Most games will be on weekends, so there are thousands of nearby parking spaces that go unused on weekends. I would not be surprised to see some sort of shuttle service to the games. Not an insurmountable problem.

While the widening of Spartan Stadium seems like a good idea, that would not happen. There is a lot of opposition to that from the Spartan football perspective (and it is their stadium), not to mention the actual cost because of the need to tear out seats in the corners (and they would have to be replaced somewhere in the stadium to keep the total capacity intact).

This is a classic situation of some wanting things to be done NOW. It isn't going to happen that way. If everyone is unwilling to compromise a little, the Earthquakes would not come back, at least anytime soon. The classic "If you build it, they will come" probably does not work in San Jose (it's been tried a couple of times for Major League Baseball). Thankfully it doesn't apply with the Quakes because they are already here......that fact really puts positive pressure on those who will make the ultimate decisions.

 

On paper...but, I think if there was a crowd of over 100 at Spartan there would still be a beer line, and my fiance would be waiting in line for the restrooms for nearly 20 minutes.

 

I sold churros there before. we were the only stand making them fresh. we had a line from the start of halftime to what felt like the end of the game. we couldn't make enough for the vendors in the stands. we sold them till we ran out of sugar...except not really. they definitely weren't making contracts with enough vendors of with vendors who could meet demand.

 

hello i am not so close to mls yet but very interested...
so please inform me - is there a possibility to raise from 12 k
to 15 k in changing seating places into standing places
for "hardcore fans" ??

 

Does this stadium has enough parking space for 12K?
I looks that there are only 1200 parking space.

 

If they cut a deal with the office park and hotel across the street there are at least another 2000 parking spaces over there.

 

Uncle Rico definitely could