Citing poor field conditions, San Diego Wave FC moves final game from Snapdragon Stadium – San Diego Union-Tribune

The San Diego Wave will wear their home jerseys and “host” Racing Louisville in Sunday afternoon’s regular season finale… at Lynn Family Stadium.

This is in Louisville.

The Wave moved the game from Snapdragon Stadium because, as it said in a terse statement Friday, “current field conditions … did not meet the standards required for a safe playing environment.” That's code for a new turf , which was installed a month ago and was destroyed by four football and soccer games in October.

The Wave's last two home games were played on a field with large strips of white sand to fill holes and bare spots, drawing sharp criticism from both fans and head coach Landon Donovan. The club's new ownership group inspected it Thursday morning. On Friday, a local representative of FIFA, soccer's world governing body, entered the field and declared it unplayable.

The Wave considered moving the game to USD's Torero Stadium, the club's home stadium during its inaugural season, or Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium. However, both lack video review features that meet National Women's Soccer League standards.

They have Major League Soccer facilities, but both Los Angeles teams are in the playoffs.

Foregoing was not an option because while the Wave was eliminated from postseason contention in 13th place, Louisville is fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot heading into the final weekend.

“The league,” the Wave statement said, “ultimately determined that moving the game to Louisville was the best solution.”

It will be played at the same time on Sunday (2:30 p.m. PST, 5:30 p.m. in Louisville) to maintain the ESPN television window.

“Details for fans who have purchased tickets for the match will be announced as soon as possible to ensure a seamless experience for everyone,” the club’s statement said. “We apologize to our fans who have shown their unwavering support and assure you that we are actively working with the stadium management to resolve this issue.”

“Our players, fans and community deserve a safe, quality environment for every game.”

The statement said Snapdragon Field is “the responsibility of a third party,” namely Oak View Group, a management company hired by SDSU to operate the 32,000-seat facility.

The stadium issued its own statement Friday afternoon, noting that it was “disappointed” by the NWSL's decision and the field's defense.

“While we recognize that the aesthetics of the pitch do not meet our desired expectations, we are confident that we are ready to play a game on Sunday under safe conditions,” the statement posted on social media said. “Several factors, including high demand for field use and weather, have impacted turf, but we are committed to investing resources, expertise and advanced technology to overcome these challenges in the future.”

“We are actively assessing its condition and our maintenance program to make necessary improvements. Our commitment includes integrating grow lights, exploring additional opportunities for turf farms, evaluating different grass species and adopting different installation methods.”

This is the sixth panel installed in Snapdragon since it opened in August 2022. The previous turf was Latitude 36 Bermudagrass, grown by American Sod Farms in Escondido and also used at Petco Park. However, a Kentucky bluegrass was planted over four days in late September because it is theoretically hardier in cooler weather and would create a better field for the nationally televised Holiday Bowl in late December.

Losing a home game could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Wave, which had already distributed more than 20,000 tickets for Sunday. This is in addition to what multiple league sources described as “several five-figure fines” from the NWSL and CONCACAF, the regional soccer governing body, throughout the season for repeatedly subpar pitch conditions.

Donovan pointed to the bumpy, unsightly field as a factor in the 2-0 home loss to last-place Houston on Oct. 13, which ended the Wave's playoff hopes as players struggled to stay on the ground and the ball bounced unevenly while playing on the field.

When asked what they could do differently three days later in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup game against Mexico's Club America, also at Snapdragon, Donovan replied: “Other than replacing the entire field, I don't think there's much.”

That game took place on October 16th and the only on-field event since then was an SDSU football game last Saturday against Washington State.

SDSU hosts New Mexico at the Snapdragon next Friday night, and school officials said they have no concerns about the game going ahead as scheduled. Interim New Mexico AD David Williams told the Albuquerque Journal he was aware of the situation on the field but had not had any discussions about potentially postponing the game.

Next year, however, the stadium will have another major tenant, MLS expansion franchise San Diego FC, adding additional strain to the late summer and fall calendar. The club said it was monitoring the situation and “working collaboratively to address the issue and ensure quality standards are maintained.”

“This is the busiest stadium in America, there's no doubt in my mind,” Mike Kern, Oak View Group's director of field and grounds, told the Union-Tribune two weeks ago about a report on the deteriorating conditions at the stadium playing field. “I think we have a solid plan, but we are a multi-purpose venue. We are a college football stadium with two football teams.

“I know that we will do everything in our power and that we will leave no stone unturned. We have full carte blanche to ensure we utilize all possible resources.”

Staff writer Kirk Kenney contributed to this report.

Originally published: November 1, 2024 at 5:31 pm PDT