Though it is still a few weeks away from its regular season debut, the new Colorado State stadium opened for fans during a practice on Saturday.
As the August 26 debut of the facility draws closer, Colorado State is getting ready for its opening. Included in its plans was Saturday’s offering, a free event that included a community open house for the new stadium and provided the opportunity for fans to watch a team scrimmage.
Indications are that the event attracted plenty of attention. The reported attendance at the Colorado State stadium was 21,447, a solid turnout that showed the level of anticipation for the new venue’s opening. It also gave Colorado State officials, including athletic director Joe Parker, a chance to gauge the fan reaction and the facility’s operations in advance of the first game. More from The Denver Post:
“Either jaws were down or smiles were up,” Parker said. “That made me feel pretty good.”
While the facility has been mostly operational for months, Saturday’s showcase provided a multipronged test run for several internal systems used during a real game day: security, ticket scanning, usher placement, concessions functionality, video displays and more. Like any first day, there was plenty to be learned, too.
With only some concessions stands operational, long lines created congestion in the concourse. Twitter user @SharonDSafety posted a photo of a bare hot dog in a paper tray with the caption: “How do you (run) out of buns?” Another user, @johnpaulsampson, pointed out a misspelling on the list of Fourteeners depicted in murals above the concourse — La Planta Peak instead of La Plata Peak.
“We’re developing a list that we’re going to improve on,” Parker said. “So three weeks from now when we actually have a game in the building, we’ll be even that much better.”
Colorado State will face Oregon State in the stadium’s debut game.
Rendering courtesy Colorado State University.
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