Valley Children's Stadium – stadium description

How was Valley Children's Stadium built?

Construction of a new stadium for the Fresno State Bulldogs college football team began in June 1979. The facility was inaugurated on November 15, 1980, and on opening night the hosts defeated the Montana State team 21:14 in the season-ending game. The newly opened stadium could initially accommodate 30,000 spectators (the Fresno State Bulldogs' previous facility, Ratcliffe Stadium, offered 13,000 seats).

Construction of the facility cost $7 million. The amount was raised through fundraising by local residents. In 1991, due to the high attendances recorded at the stadium, additional stands were added behind the ends of the field, on the previously undeveloped slopes of the embankments, increasing the capacity of the arena to over 40,000 spectators.

The facility was known as Bulldog Stadium from its inception. In July 2022, the name was changed to Valley Children's Stadium.

Who plays at Valley Children's Stadium?

Since its inception, the stadium has been the home arena for the Fresno State Bulldogs college football team, representing California State University, Fresno. From 1981 to 1991, the facility hosted the California Bowl, an annual postseason college football game between the winners of the Big West Conference and the Mid-American Conference. The stadium also hosted several friendly games between national soccer teams.

What does Valley Children's Stadium look like?

The facility was built in an excavated basin, and its stands were built on earthen banks around the field. For this type of facility, the stands are quite steep and are not far from the playing field. The pitch is slightly below the level of the surrounding terrain. The playing field's patron is former coach, Jim Sweeney. Since 2011, the pitch has been equipped with artificial turf.

The single-tiered stands reach their greatest height along the pitch, descending behind the ends, and are disconnected in two places - on the north and south sides, in the central part of the arches. More prominent is the break on the south side, where a gap in the earthen embankment reaches pitch level. A digital scoreboard (on the south side) and a LED screen (on the north side) have been placed at the location of these gaps.

The capacity of the stadium is 40,727 spectators. Much of the auditorium is equipped with aluminum benches; plastic seating is located only in the central sections of the east and west stands. Behind the stands along the pitch are buildings with boxes and support facilities. The venue has floodlights set on eight masts (four on each side). Four of the masts, located most centrally, have a characteristic slanted design, so that the floodlights are closer to the pitch.

The stadium is decorated with motifs referring to the symbols and colors of the Fresno State Bulldogs (including numerous images of bulldogs or red-and-white checkerboards at the ends of the field). The facility is located near the campus of California State University. It is surrounded by other sports facilities, including practice fields and smaller baseball, softball and soccer stadiums, as well as an athletic track.