Fresno State University unveiled renderings for an upgraded Valley Children’s Stadium as a part of a $250M athletics facility renovation. Fresno State attempted, and failed, to upgrade the football stadium in 2018. This time, they’ve secured funding and will begin renovating the east side suites this summer.
“It’s real,” said Fresno State athletic director Terry Tumey. “We are no longer in a hypothetical mode. We understand the external pressures that we have and the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. [B]y showing investment by the university and by the community speaks volumes to the nation as to the importance of our athletics enterprise to what we do as a university.”
According to a report from the Fresno Bee, funding for the first phase of the renovation has already been secured. Part of that was due in part to private funding while $1.5M of it comes from Kalen deBoer’s buyout after Washington hired him away last season.
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Fresno State To Renovate Valley Children’s Stadium
Aside from new east side suites, renderings show new standing boxes in one of the end zones and a complete overhaul to the outside of the venue. New video boards and a revamped outside concourse highlight the noticeable changes.
When asked about the stadium renovation earlier this year, Tumey said, “our stadium must look the part.” He was referring to a potential move up to the Power Five – be it the Pac-12 or otherwise – amid one of the biggest conference realignment shakeups in college football history.
“I know we had a setback prior with Measure E (in 2018),” he said. “But that’s not going to stop us. We still have very much of a planned approach that we’re looking at for our stadium renovations.”
The current Valley Children’s Stadium was built in 1980. The most major renovation came in 1991. Fresno State expanded the venue from 30,000 seats to over 40,000. Since then, two more renovations moved the capacity to its current 40,727, fourth-largest in the Mountain West.
Complete details and timeline have not yet been released.
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