SJSU expects athletics center to spur San Jose ‘family entertainment’ zone
SAN JOSE, Calif. — A new $70 million athletics center at San Jose State University is being positioned as a key building block for an emerging “family entertainment district” near the city’s downtown.
According to officials, the Spartan Athletics Center, which connects to the outdoor CEFCU Stadium, has the potential to be a game changer for the university’s sports programs as well as an economic building block for the area.
“The future is now,” SJSU President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 55,000-square-foot athletics complex on Tuesday. “We are very excited about this.”
The cutting-edge facilities will be used to attract talented athletes, provide world-class training and meeting facilities, and serve as a premier venue for alumni and donor events.
However, for Charlie Faas, SJSU’s vice president for administration and finance, the potential extends far beyond the obvious advantages.
According to Fass, the university’s director of real estate, the new center will be an important piece of an emerging economic mosaic in this part of San Jose near the intersection of South 10 Street and East Alma Avenue. “The vision I have is that this area can be San Jose’s family entertainment zone,” Faas said after the ribbon cutting in an interview with this news organization. “This center is a huge building block for that.”
According to Faas, the new athletics complex can collaborate with other key activity hubs in the area. Along with the SJSU football, soccer, and basketball teams, the San Jose Giants minor league baseball club and the San Jose Barracuda hockey team both play their home games nearby.
Nearby attractions include Sharks Ice, Excite Stadium, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, History Park, Japanese Friendship Garden, Kelley Park, Viet Museum, and a disc-throwing golf course.
“This whole area is a place where you can take your family for a day of entertainment and not have to spend a lot of money,” Faas explained. “That’s why this really is a family entertainment district.”
The Spartan Athletics Center’s cutting-edge facilities appear to have made an impression on the athletes who frequent the new complex.
“This is an amazing facility,” women’s soccer player Jennah Loggins said. “It’s a space that feels like home.” The facilities opened at a time when three of San Jose State University’s men’s teams made history.
The SJSU men’s basketball, football, and baseball teams all made the postseason for the first time in 2022-23. The San Jose State baseball team won the Mountain West Conference championship for the first time.
Faas believes that success breeds more success. He believes the new athletics center will spur more victories, postseason appearances, revenue, and visitors to the area.
More postseason success and increased exposure may also help the university’s sports teams attract more people to San Jose.
“We did nothing for decades and discovered that if you do nothing, you get nothing,” Faas explained. “Now we’re doing something, and it’s working.” This has the potential to grow.”
