San Diego State University: Snapdragon Stadium Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Ushers in New Era at SDSU
Standing a stone’s throw from where San Diego State University and City of San Diego leaders first broke ground just two years earlier, community members gathered once again, this time as part of a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of construction on Snapdragon Stadium – the new home of SDSU Aztec Football, the San Diego Wave Fútbol Club, and a year-round, cutting-edge entertainment venue for the greater San Diego region.
“SDSU Mission Valley has always been about community – People, our families, our children, and the generations of those who will follow us. The shared vision and plan for this site was seeded by our community,” said SDSU President Adela de la Torre.
Aztec football has been without a true home stadium since 1967, when the team played in the historic Aztec Bowl. Now, with the vision of SDSU Mission Valley quickly taking shape, the 35,000 seat Snapdragon Stadium is in place to serve the region for decades to come.
Come opening day, San Diego sports fans will welcome the world-class, Snapdragon Stadium, designed to meet the needs of the entire San Diego community. Snapdragon Stadium is intended to be an embodiment of real, impactful examples of a world where everyone and everything is intelligently connected.
“One of my favorite features about Snapdragon Stadium is that it holds beautiful imprints of our community,” de la Torre said. “You will see murals, sculptures and portraits by our own students and local artists. Nearly 90% of the old stadium was recycled or reused on site, and many of the businesses operating in the stadium are locally-owned and run by SDSU alumni.”
On Sept. 3, when the SDSU Aztec football team plays the University of Arizona Wildcats in the season home opener, the stadium’s deliberate, thoughtful design will be on full display.
Premium, centralized seating can be found close to the bottom level to bring fans closer to the action, while the Sycuan Piers, inspired by San Diego’s coastlines, provides spectators with a unique view as a portion of the piers juts out toward the field.
“We appreciate all the hard work to get Snapdragon Stadium complete in time for our first game against Arizona,” said J.D. Wicker, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at SDSU.
“We are looking forward to fans coming to a stadium that they can be proud of – a stadium that is authentic to San Diego. We feel we’ve created an unmatched experience in collegiate athletics, and in all events that come to the stadium,” Wicker said.
In December 2021, SDSU and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. jointly announced that they had entered into a long-term agreement to secure exclusive naming rights to the new, one-of-a-kind venue. Snapdragon Stadium is named for the Snapdragon® platforms that power extraordinary experiences inside many of the world’s premium smartphones, PCs, gaming devices, connected cars, extended reality glasses, smart watches and more.
“We are thrilled to finally welcome fans into Snapdragon Stadium alongside San Diego State University. Snapdragon platforms are at the center of many of the best devices on the planet and beyond and we could not be more excited for fans to engage with extraordinary Snapdragon-powered experiences on game days in this amazing venue,” said Don McGuire, SVP of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and CMO of Qualcomm. “As a company founded in San Diego 37 years ago, we are proud to partner with San Diego State University to bring this state-of-the-art stadium to the community.”
Snapdragon Stadium is the first part of the development of SDSU Mission Valley. Earlier this year, the university broke ground on the designated river park which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The university is also in the process of selecting the developers for the first Innovation District and residential projects.