Quakes Delay Move

By Jackie Pierce and Kurt Wagner

While the San Jose Earthquakes soccer team may be disappointed that they haven't been able to start building their new stadium, Santa Clara can look forward to hosting the Major League Soccer team at Buck Shaw Stadium for a few more years.

The Earthquakes have been utilizing the facilities at Buck Shaw Stadium and Santa Clara's Leavey Center for the past four years, a relationship that Santa Clara Athletic Director Dan Coonan said has been "a very good thing for the university."

"I think (the contract) has been favorable to both them and to us," said Coonan, who added that the Earthquakes and Santa Clara remain under contract for the next couple of years.

Santa Clara has benefitted in multiple ways through having the Earthquakes play on campus. Most notably, the university receives an undisclosed amount of money from the Quakes as well as facilities contributions, said Coonan.

Students have also been able to take advantage of the relationship, since they need only to walk across campus to attend a professional sporting event. Students have also been able to buy tickets at a discounted price.

Senior Alex Moore said that he has enjoyed being so close to the team's home. A Seattle native, Moore would sometimes "go to the Sounders games when (he is) back home in Seattle, but it is much more convenient to simply walk across campus to the games versus drive into (downtown) Seattle park."

When San Jose first began playing at Buck Shaw, the team provided new turf and an updated drainage system to meet MLS standards and the stadium also added roughly 4,000 seats to increase capacity to just over 10,000.

These benefits certainly help Santa Clara attract prospective student athletes, as having the Earthquakes on campus and using all the same athletic facilities adds "credibility to our programs," said Coonan.

But the benefits extend beyond just athletics, he said, as hosting a professional athletic team opens up the university to a wide range of publicity and visibility.

"Anytime we bring people to campus who aren't already exposed to Santa Clara, I think it's a huge benefit," said Coonan. "When people see Santa Clara for the first time they are impressed. It has brought people here who would not ordinarily have been here."

Hosting the Earthquakes does pose some logistical challenges, most notably parking availability on game days, said Phil Beltran, assistant director of Campus Safety.

Currently, Santa Clara Campus Safety deploys three officers to assist with parking for Quakes home games, with one officer then staying throughout the game to serve as a liaison between the team and the school.

However, any crowd control or behavioral issues both inside and outside of the stadium are handled by Santa Clara police, meaning having the Quakes around for another year or two won't have much of an impact on SCU Campus Safety, said Beltran.

According to David Kaval, the president of the Earthquakes the Earthquakes have always viewed Buck Shaw Stadium as a "temporary home."

When Kaval announced that demolishing of existing buildings on the proposed building site last March, the possibility of the Quakes finally having their own stadium in 2012 seemed like a reality. While the plans for building a new Earthquakes Stadium near the San Jose International Airportare still underway, the original goal of finishing by the beginning of next season looks unlikely, considering construction of the proposed 15,000 seat stadium has yet to begin.

Kaval and the Quakes are still seeking a Planned Development Permit from the City of San Jose in order to begin construction.

Kaval noted that the team enjoyed the "intimacy" that Buck Shaw allowed. "The team is attempting to duplicate this feeling at the new field."

Contact Jackie Pearce at jpearce@scu.edu or contact Kurt Wagner at jwagner@scu.edu. Call (408) 554-4852 for more information.