Our Stadium of the Year competition has officially begun and will run until March 15. As many as 36 venues are on the list of nominees this year. One of them is Snapdragon Stadium located in San Diego, California. Take a look at this candidacy and decide whether you want to vote for it in the contest for Stadium of the Year 2022!

Snapdragon Stadium nominated for Stadium of the Year 2022!

San Diego residents and fans of the local San Diego State Aztecs college football team got a new stadium last year that they can be proud of. The state-of-the-art Snapdragon Stadium made it to the list of 36 football arenas nominated for the prestigious Stadium of the Year 2022 award. The competition is the largest public vote of its kind in the world. Since the first edition began, a total of more than 400,000 valid votes have been counted.

Get to know Snapdragon Stadium

When the NFL franchise Chargers moved to Los Angeles in 2017, questions began to be asked about the future of the massive, 70,000-plus-seat San Diego Stadium. The facility was located on a sizable plot of land (135 acres) and was surrounded by open space. Two initiatives soon emerged, each to build a new, but noticeably smaller stadium on the site, adapted to current needs. In a public vote on November 6, 2018, residents voted in favour of San Diego State University's project to build a new university campus, part of which was to include a new stadium for San Diego State Aztecs athletes.

The new facility was being built right next to the old San Diego Stadium, which was decided to be demolished. The capacity of the new arena is 35,000 spectators. The uncovered stands are a mosaic of seats in shades of grey and burgundy, which is present in the upper sections. Gensler studio was responsible for the design. Here are some interesting facts about the arena: 

• Snapdragon Stadium cost $ 310 million
• Materials from the torn-down San Diego Stadium were used in the construction
• The construction took almost two years - the developers were two days late
• The stadium has a wide range of catering and extensive premium options
• There is a light rail stop nearby

The California facility had 2 openings. In August a "soft opening" was made, when fans were able to enter the stands for the first time. The actual inauguration took place in September, when Aztecs footballers opened the season. Snapdragon Stadium also serves the university's soccer and lacrosse teams. In addition, the facility hosts a rugby team, the San Diego Legion, which plays in the MLR, as well as the San Diego Wave FC women's soccer team, which participates in the NWSL.

How to vote for the Stadium of the Year 2022?

In order to take part, everyone has to select five stadiums by giving 5 stars to the best one, 4 stars to the second best, 3 stars to the third, 2 stars for the fourth and finally 1 star for the fifth most interesting. It means that you cannot cast your vote for only one stadium - all 5 venues must be included in your form. To vote visit Stadium of the Year 2022, the voting platform which will be open until March 15. To learn more about the nominated stadiums and the voting rules themselves, it is recommended to watch the video: