Ok, let's hear it from fans. Where are you more comfortable? At the old Spartan or Buck Shaw?

As much as i hated being treated as a second-class citizen by the Spartan works Dept. (marching band anybody?) It was far and away better than Buck Shaw stadium. Better beer, better beer prices, drinking beer in your seats, tailgating in the parking lots, better location, loads more free parking, better atmosphere, better bathrooms( and that's not saying much for BS ) great field view, from my seats any way, hell even the cops and security were nicer.

Buck Shaw's field is bigger and has a giant screen TV for replays, that's all the positives but as a temp solution it's passable.

 

That's a very fair and even assessment Beerking. I have a lot of great memories at Spartan, but I have come to feel more at home at Buck Shaw. By beer standards, yes Spartan wins. I never found the security at Spartan to be particularly accommodating, so that one is a draw for me. The sight lines are so much better at Buck Shaw that it isn't even a competition. Being able to see all four corners and the big-screen really enhances/completes the experience. I regularly run into people from ownership and the front office at Buck Shaw, so for me this feels much more like a true home.

 

Spartan by far. Better access, food and drink. From my seats, at stadiums, the sight lines were similar.

 

I will give you the sight lines at Buck Shaw with the proviso that it doesn't include the first three rows as they are obstructed by the railing and people walking in front of you, not to mention the 6 yard pathway that runs in front of those rows tends to remove you from some of the action.

 

What kills me about BS is the no tailgating.....I hate it. Especially compared to Spartan - I moved here and went to my first Quakes game in 04' and thought that having all that grass to sit and chill on was amazing!! You also got really pumped for the games and a sense of community at the tailgates.

 

Yes, you're absolutely right. This is one reason I'll be going to fewer games this season. It's a bummer not being able to tailgate!!

 

Good thread topic!

For me personally, I enjoy watching the matches better at Buck Shaw. My BS seats were in the 11th row and better than the 22nd row I had at Spartan simply because the field is wider. Still couldn't see all of the action at the near sideline at BS but it was better than at Spartan. However, the lack of more crappers at BS is a problem. I know it is a temporary venue but still, adding another set of restrooms would greatly improve things.

Now, I never tailgated at Spartan but I did enjoy walking through all the action on the way to the gate. It's fun to see people enjoying themselves before a game.

The other knock I have against Spartan is that it was too much of a pain for my 60+ year old mother to get to her seat with all those stairs. She prefers Buck Shaw much more just for that reason.

Lastly, the replay screen at BS is the tiebreaker for me. Yeah, there could be beer in the seats and there could be tailgating action but the big screen makes BS better for me personally.

 

Totally agree with this one, 100 percent. Lack of tailgating (and the present beer stockade) is a major detriment to enjoying the games at TheShaw. And, I thought the john situation was bad at Spartan, but BShaw is worse. As far as viewing is concerned, the last couple of games that I was able to attend last May, the security crew had done a fairly good job at keeping all those people from running back and forth on that front aisle.

 

I really like Buck Shaw much better, based on the one game I was able to go to last year and the season tickets I had for the entire run at Spartan.

Buck Shaw was full; Spartan almost never. This is huge. I hated moving over a section at Spartan so that there were people sitting in that section. Happened all the time.

Buck Shaw has much better sight lines. Also huge.

Buck Shaw does not have football lines. Huge.

Concessions were better at Spartan.

Access is better at Spartan (I live near Sacramento so hopping on 80/680/280 was very convenient).

Not a tailgater, so non-issue.

Big beer fan, so I'm a little disappointed by the selection at BS and the inability to drink in the stands.

However, Buck Shaw is by far the winner for me in the areas that count.

 

Spartan takes the cake for me. Though They both have there Pros & Cons.

Spartan
- Tail Gating
- Beer In The Stands (For Those Who Can Drink)
- More Room
- A REAL stadium
- The Security & Police were far nicer.
- You could park on 6th, 7th, 8th street and not have to walk far.
- Food was cheeper
- Beer was cheeper
- It was a Small Stadium, but it was the most feared place to play.
- Bathrooms were FARRRR better.

Cons
- No big screen replay board
- Smaller field.
- Shared with football goombas.

Buck Shaw
- Bigger Field
- Replay Board


Cons
- Small Small Stadium
- HORRIBLE bathroom facilities
- Foods too expensive
- Its Santa Clara
- No Tail Gating
- Its Santa Clara

 

Spartan was good for its day. Too bad that facility couldn't be modernized, or rebuilt to current standards (look at BMO Field, or Rio Tinto)...

Spartan had tailgating--a major plus, and when filled it was the most intimidating place to play in. Also, the beer selection was huge.

Buck Shaw is a lot that maybe Spartan 2008 on could have been--wider field, upgraded facilities. The absence of tailgating and the limits on where to drink beer takes away somewhat from the game experience. The big plus on Buck Shaw right now (someone else noted this earlier) is the packed crowds--that makes the fans more like the true 12th player, compared to the field at Spartan (which was a "constained box", but not to take that away)...

I'll take the Old Spartan for its charm--the tailgating, the crowds (when filled), and the field. Buck Shaw is great right now, but the beer/tailgating element takes that away--however, I take that venue due to it being right now what Spartan isn't--"modern" with the scoreboard and sightlines and suitable for the game.

It was also easier to walk around Spartan Stadium, save for the crossing where the players came and went between the field and locker room. The front aisle on Buck Shaw is way too small to navigate--unless the make the aisles on the upper stands much wider...

If only the regime could take the best of both worlds and make it the place where to kick the ball before the game, have a brew with the lads, and soak in the sun...

 

Concessions - I have not tried any at The Shaw, but have not heard great things about it, so Spartan definately takes this.

Tailgating - nothing to be said that hasnt already been said. Spartan

Accessbility In and out of stadium - Spartan was much easier to walk around inside (except when the players were coming in, as stated before), but TheShaw is easier for me since I am less than 2 miles away

Gameday experience - except for the Galaxy game in 2005, I can't recall a game I went to that was actually fun (I unfortunately didn't make it to the Galaxy playoff game). Every game I've been to at TheShaw has been fun, even before I joined the Ultras. The intimacy that a small, packed stadium brings had nothing compared to the big, half-emptiness of Spartan (minus the Galaxy games).

So I definately enjoy Buck Shaw more than Spartan, minus the lack of tailgating.

 

That's a good point I'd forgotten-ticket prices are a lot higher at Buck Shaw. That's part of the reason why I only saw one game there last year...

Still, I'll take Buck Shaw for the game day experience.

 

Yeah, no tailgating kinda sucks. But I've had a lot of fun at the Hut and Mondo, almost as much fun as out in the lots at the Coliseum. I hope that for the new stadium, they either have a pub built in or one very very close and it's huge. Then, I wouldn't care about the tailgating policies. Everybody could just hang out in the pub.

 

this is sort of am unfair question. There were several great moments in the 20 plus years at Spartan, while we have had a few great moments in the 1 year at BS.

I prefer BS at the moment, there are plenty of free parking spots around the campus, just like Spartan.
The lack of a real British Banger at BS bothers me as well as the beer, as for the tailgating, yep it sucks there is none, but there are way more places that serve alcohol or even food around BS then Spartan.

and the one big thing I like, is the fact that most of the crowd actually stand up for the National Anthem at BS. What a concept.

 

easy........spartan. beer............seat 'nough said.

 

I have had a few pre-game beers at the Hut and agree that its great. Never been to Mondo, but will give it a try fo sho.
For me its about the tailgating....I really like to tailgate, its easier for me to hang out hours drinking and BBQing at a tailgate with my group then it is be in a pub (and I love pubs, I'm not knockin' them). But the difference between the Coliseum and Spartan for me is the grass!! I loved it! It was like a picnic in heaven!! I'm not trying to complain too much, I love BS, I'm really happy with everything the quakes have done. I just hope that when they put the epicenter in that they can have the same kinda grass tailgating area....doubt it, but it'd be nice-

 

I'd rather watch a game in Spartan in terms of comfort since there actually is leg room there. The gameday atmosphere is better in Buck Shaw because the supporters groups are so easy to see and hear from anywhere.

 

And the purpose of this topic is....?
Who cares about what people think of Spartan? That's part of the past. Gone. Done. The End!
It's not like the stadium where the team is playing is voted by bigsoccer users.
Buckshaw is great for a temporary home and even better is the fact that there is a pro team to even play on it. You guys forgot that for two years there was no team. They can play in my backyward, as long as the Quakes have a team, I go there support them, and enjoy the games. If you like Spartan so much, go there and watch SJSU football team playing or whatever games they still host. Better atmosphere there? Maybe at the games against the Galaxy. How about for most of the season? 6-9000 people looked so impressive in that 30 000 stadium!
Most of the other fans in the league call the Quakes fans the whiniest fans in the league, and they are right. Debating the smallest, most uninteresting and insignificant details. Who gives a shit about beer, tailgate, sidelines, scoreboard, the directions from where the sun shines, the dimensions of the field etc? As long as we have a good team that plays good soccer and wins games, that's what should make the fans happy. Frank wants the playing surface smaller? Good for him and good for the team. it means that he does that to better fit his team playing style. It's called home advantage! For those 18-20 bucks a ticket, Quakes fans expect to be treated like royalty, with the best beer-must be cheap too, the best angle to see the game, seats with cushions, and the stadium stuff to give them a massage and bring them the beer at the seats perhaps...

 

+1.

 

i prefer spartan stadium...its were i saw my first soccer match on that niceee dayyy in 96