Valley Children’s Stadium debuts faster entry features at first home game

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – As Fresno State gears up for kickoff at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the athletic department says they’ve been working on improvements for a faster and seamless process to get into the stadium.

Fresno State says they listened and learned from past games and the Shakira concert to improve the game-day experience.

“We had some deficiencies with our fans entering the stadium. You know, we have the largest party in the Valley, so people want to hang out in the tailgates as late as possible. And then when we hosted Shakira here, we knew that we had some deficiencies in trying to get people here in an efficient manner,” said Garrett Klassy, Fresno State’s Athletics director. 

Fresno State Football had a rough start to the season opener. But the dogs are ready to get to work on their home turf with fans making their return to Valley Children’s Stadium to cheer them on. This season’s Bulldog fans will notice a few improvements as they enter the stadium.

Klassy says starting Saturday, fans will have two extra entry gates: the northwest and southwest gates, which are accessible from the white lot.

“We had about six entry points, and we’re going up to eight. And then we’re adding lines and some other gates, too. And so, we expect that we should be able to get 2,000 to 2,500 people in, more at the same time. And so, we’re excited to see how that works tomorrow,” he said. 

This is the first time they’ll be trying these methods, and they say there may be some problems before they have the system down pat. But additional staff at the gates should ease the process as fans pile in.

“If there’s some gates where there’s lesser lines, we’re going to have some megaphones out there and some customer service reps letting the fans know that, hey, if it’s the line’s too long at this gate, go to this gate and you’ll be able to get in immediately.”

The school is also adding additional high-speed metal detectors that allow fans to walk through without having to stop and empty their pockets or purses.

“It’s looking for large weapons, anything that could be dangerous.”

And just a reminder of a few house rules:

• Clear bags or purses
• One sealed water bottle is allowed
• Free water is available at concession stands
• Shuttle service drop off is at the north & south sides of the stadium; pickup postgame is only on the north side.