Lubbers Stadium, or Arend D. Lubbers Stadium, is a stadium

Stadium

A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...

 on the Allendale

Allendale Charter Township, Michigan

Allendale Charter Township is a charter township of Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 20,708...

 campus of Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University

Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...

 in Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. The stadium was named after former university president Arend Lubbers

Arend Lubbers

Arend Donselaar Lubbers was president of Grand Valley State University from 1969 to 2001. He was the second president of Grand Valley, serving after James Zumberge and before Mark Murray. He currently holds the title of President Emeritus...

. It is primarily used for American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

, and is the home field of the Grand Valley State Lakers

Grand Valley State Lakers

The Grand Valley State Lakers are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Grand Valley State University, located in Allendale, Michigan, United States...

. The stadium opened in 1973 and seats 8,950 people-though it almost always holds thousands more fans. The stadium is also home to a football weight training facility.

History

Lubbers Stadium hosted its first football game on November 15, 1973 against Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo College, also known as K College or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1833, the college is among the 100 oldest in the country. Today, it produces more Peace Corps volunteers per capita than any other U.S...

. The stadium was officially dedicated in 1979.

Location

Lubbers Stadium is located in the northwest part of campus along with most all other athletics facilities, just north of the Laker Turf Building and just south of Lake Michigan Drive

M-45 (Michigan highway)

M-45 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that is also called Lake Michigan Drive. The highway runs from Agnew near Lake Michigan to the west side of Grand Rapids in the western Lower Peninsula. Lake Michigan Drive continues in each direction from M-45's termini, extending west...

.

Expansion

Beginning in the spring of 2011, Lubbers Stadium will undergo a series of expansions and renovations that will increase capacity, concessions, and restroom facilities. The improvements are being paid for by several large private gifts.

2011

The first year plans to replace the student seating section with new stands, increasing student seating by 400 seats and wrapping around the corners of the stadium creating a horseshoe. Permanent concession stands and restrooms behind student section will also be built to accommodate the increase in seating and the fans sitting in the south end. The wooden benches in the west grandstand will be wrapped in blue acrylic plastic to provide more comfortable seating and a longer lifespan.

2012

The second year plans to lower the field by seven feet and remove the outdoor track surface that is being replaced by the new track and lacrosse stadium that is being constructed on the south side of campus. Lowering the field will give the opportunity to add four rows of seating down toward the field in a horseshoe configuration, adding 2,000 seats. A grass slope will be built behind the north end zone and in front of the video board for overflow seating and the band section will be moved to the southeast corner. The field will then be replaced with an artificial turf playing surface.

Beyond

In the years beyond this expansion the University plans on adding visiting locker rooms under the east grandstand and remove the existing press box and replace it with a larger one to add more seating and sky boxes. These improvements would be paid for by a public fund raising campaign.

External links

• Lubbers Stadium web page