BIG SKY WANTS CSUN STADIUM ON CAMPUS.Byline: Brian Dohn Daily News Staff Writer Forget renovating a local high school field or Pierce College's stadium. Focus on finding a site, securing funds and building a football stadium on campus. And do it soon. That was the message Big Sky Conference commissioner Doug Fullerton gave Cal State Northridge administrators during a visit to the campus last week. ``I think the presidents (of the Big Sky) expect an on-campus facility,'' Fullerton said Wednesday from Ogden, Utah Ogden is the county seat of Weber County,GR6 Utah, United States. A 2006 estimate placed its population at 78,086. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a . ``To take the football program off to one of the smaller colleges there, I don't think the presidents think that would be a commitment to the football program. If they (CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge ) said, `Let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. for three years,' then I think the presidents would say they're (CSUN) not upholding their agreement.'' In the past Fullerton said CSUN's North Campus Stadium, which seats 7,500, wasn't a sufficient venue because of substandard substandard, adj below an acceptable level of performance. locker rooms, lighting, coaches' boxes, press areas and ambiance am·bi·ance also am·bi·ence n. The special atmosphere or mood created by a particular environment: "The noir ambience is dominated by low-key lighting . . . . When the Matadors entered the Big Sky Conference three years ago an agreement was made that a new stadium would be built. However, area residents have opposed CSUN proposals for facilities that could seat anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000. ``If they do it first-class, it doesn't matter how big it is. It could be a 10,000-seat horseshoe,'' Fullerton said. ``But I think it would be foolish if they built it without the possibility of expanding it.'' CSUN formed a committee during the summer with the task of finding a location for a new football stadium, as well as venues for soccer, baseball and softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' , that meets conference requirements. Though that committee's report isn't due until December, there are two target areas on campus. One is at the intersection of Halsted Street Halsted Street is a major north-south street in the American city of Chicago, Illinois. Location In Chicago's grid system, Halsted street marks 800 West, one mile west of State Street, from Grace Street (3800 N) in Lakeview south to the city limits at the Little Calumet and Lindley Avenue. The other is adjacent to the athletic department building, the site of the old parking deck off Zelzah Avenue. ``I think the conference is at a point where they're ready to say, `It's been three years since you gave us your original plan (to build it on the North Campus), which you know you can't do. What are you going to do?' '' CSUN athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic Paul Bubb said. ``We need to build a facility that's comparable to other Big Sky facilities. The majority of them are between 12,000 to 20,000 seats. Most of them have some type of skyboxes or VIP suites. . . . That's what building a comparable facility means to me.'' Once a location is established, the next step is finding money. Bubb said public and private investors, and possibly the sale of bonds, could help with a $12 million to $15 million bill. When CSUN entered the Big Sky Conference, there were three stipulations put on the athletic department. CSUN had to increase its scholarships with the football program to 55 and improve its basketball facility. Both of those issues have been addressed. The final step is the stadium. ``Obviously, I prefer to have it on campus,'' CSUN football coach Ron Ponciano said. ``You look at everyone we play, those stadiums are on campus. That's a huge, huge recruiting tool.'' |
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