Track and field paid for by students restricted to approved groups only.

Since the dissolution of the FC Gold Pride Women’s Pro Soccer team, Pioneer Stadium has been off limits, except for official uses as deemed by the University.

“With the renovation and upgrading of the stadium facility, both field and track, the facility is only open for supervised activities,” said Debby De Angelis, CSU East Bay Athletic Director.

“Those include activity classes currently only offered by the Kinesiology department, intercollegiate athletic activities, practices and contests, ASI recreational activities and recognized student groups and outside rentals with staff-monitored supervision.”

Members of the community and students alike have been caught off guard by the locked entrances to Pioneer Stadium. What students and community members once found to be an open facility has been closed for some time.

This means that if you show up and expect to go for a run around the track, or run up the bleachers, or even play a little soccer, you will be out of luck.

The closed facility is rubbing some people the wrong way, leaving some wondering why this is happening. CSUEB alumna Celeste Johnson was shocked to find out the news.

“Students pay a lot of money to attend classes and to be able to use the facilities,” said Johnson. “It’s unfair of the campus to prevent that.

“Members of the community should be allowed to use it as well. This a state school, not a private one, and it should be open to the public.”

Before the renovation, the track and field at Pioneer Stadium was in constant use by both students and members of the community. The stairs to the top of the stadium provided an intense workout for some and, mixed in with laps around the track, or running on the grass and playing soccer, there was something for everyone.

Judging from many instances in personal trips to the stadium and the cohesive environment, the community and student body seemed to abide by most common sense rules.

However, due to the renovations, it is evident that there is administrative concern for maintaining the facility, prompting the closure and enforcement of approved activities only.

When asked if the current policy would change for opening the stadium to public use, De Angelis said, “No, unsupervised opening of the facility is not an option to protect the facility. Some of the major issues here with the artificial surfaces are dogs, food, things with wheels and drinks other than water. There is a listing of activities not allowed supplied by the vendors on or near most gate openings.”

Still, as we approach the one-year mark of having this renewed facility, it begs the question, of when, if ever, will this policy change? Will members of the community and students ever be able to freely exercise in the facility? Or does this remain permanently inaccessible?

When the partnership between CSUEB and FC Gold Pride was established, it set the course for the $1.7 million dollar renovation project. There was excitement surrounding the renovations and the idea of a professional sports team here on our campus.

For FC Gold Pride it was an opportunity to get a fresh start in a brand new home, located at the epicenter for soccer fans in the Bay Area.

After completing their first season at CSUEB, and winning the Women’s Pro Soccer Championship, the powerhouse that was FC Gold Pride unexpectedly announced that they were shopping around for new investors.

At a time when all signs appeared to be positive, the club announced they could not secure new investors, and the team had to cease operations, thus ending a promising relationship that started with a lot of fanfare in the community.

What was not expected was the closure of the facility in general. When you walk by the stadium, all you see is a beautiful new turf field that lays dormant and a new and improved all-weather track that sits unused.

The facility that students and members of the community once had access to no longer provides the same atmosphere that was prevalent on the East Bay campus.

Former CSUEB soccer player Abdul Monti last played in the stadium in 2008 as a member of the Pioneer soccer team. He played on the field before the renovation process began, and recalls many instances of using it.

“People used to run all the time, after 4 p.m. and as early as 6 a.m.,” said Monti. “The field and track were not too good, but people worked out, and there were no problems.”

According to De Angelis, the stadium has always been closed to unsupervised activity, even before the renovation. That being said, it was rare to ever see anyone enforcing this policy. The amount of people that would show up regardless of the day of the week, would suggest otherwise. However, one key element was the lack of fencing around the stadium in the past. When the facility was renovated they added fences to enclose the remainder of the stadium.

“The policy has always been, and it was posted that the facility could not be used without permission/supervision,” said De Angelis. “Without fences, it was impossible to enforce. It was an ongoing problem with conflicts with scheduled groups and unscheduled groups, trash, spills and dog droppings.”

Normal wear and tear on the facility is to be expected. These artificial surfaces have their life expectancies and are not permanent solutions. With regular use, it is expected that these facilities will last between 10 and 20 years. It would then be up to the University to decide if it needs renovating again or not.
Could the facility exceed its life expectancy? Certainly. Would opening the gates to the public drastically reduce that life expectancy? Probably not.

Derek McKee, Registered Landscape Architect for Verde Design, the company responsible for the renovation, provided some statistical data regarding life expectancies for artificial surfaces.

“Industry standard for usage on a field is about 2,000 hours annually, or five hours of use per day,” said McKee. “A college facility may not even get that high of a figure.

“Also, depending on materials, you will get different life expectancies. The CSUEB facility should expect to get about 8-10 years out of the turf and 15-20 years for the track surfaces. One thing to point out, the track surface at CSUEB is not necessarily intended for track meets, but more for recreational use.

“Also, the highest contributing factor to breakdown of the artificial turf is ultraviolet rays. It’s plastic, so the prolonged exposure over the years is the biggest contributing factor.”

As the warm weather begins to make its way to the East Bay, we will certainly begin to see the surrounding community and students make their rounds on the campus. Of particular interest will be those who wish to run outdoors and perhaps use the track and field.

Opening the gates to the public would surely please a lot of people, but in the meantime unapproved uses are off limits.

For those who may be considering using the facility and want to go through the appropriate channels to do so, non-student groups can contact University Reservations for requests.

“Recognized student groups can use the facility with reservations through Student Life and Leadership,” said De Angelis. “The cost is only for staff supervision based on the size of the group and type of activity with a minimum of two staff. There have been plans with ASI Recreation since the renovations to open the facility at certain times, but with the opening of the RAW center, that has been postponed for now.”