SACRAMENTO CA, (MPG) – Current and future Sacramento State University (Sac State) alumni and fans will soon be cheering on Hornet athletes in a new Hornet Stadium.

On Sept. 26, Sac State officials held a press conference to announce plans for a new Hornet Stadium. According to a report on the Sac State website, university President Luke Wood joined athletic director Mark Orr to make the announcement from the university welcome center.  

The report provided quotes on the new stadium from the university officials.

“The stadium is a commitment to our belief that Sacramento has a spirit and passion to turn this city into a college football town,” Wood said. “It will be a stadium worthy of Sacramento State's academic and athletic prowess, and it will also honor our position as one of the top media markets in the country. We are excited about what the future will bring and can't wait to open our new stadium.”

Orr had similar positive comments on the new stadium.

“It’s about time we build a stadium worthy of this community and this campus, and I couldn’t be happier,” Orr said. “This is a tremendous step for this university. This stadium will have a profound effect on our community. I couldn't be more excited about the future and impact it has on our athletic programs and our student-athletes.”

According to the report, the new Hornet Stadium will be built on the site of the existing stadium and will accommodate a minimum of 25,000 seats. According to the university, the current Hornet Stadium opened in 1969 and currently has a capacity of 21,195 seats.  University records indicate the annual average attendance figures for 2023 Hornet home football games was more than 13,000. The new stadium would also host Sac State soccer and rugby matches.

The Hornet Stadium announcement capped off a whirlwind of events.

First, on Sept. 24, the university released a feasibility study that examined the opportunities to expand the universities’ intercollegiate athletics program. In particular, the study identified “key areas of focus” that included improvement to existing athletic facilities, such as Hornet Stadium.

“We are energized about what this study shows regarding the future of our athletics program and implications for the university as a whole,” Sacramento State President Wood said about the feasibility study.

University officials certainly were energized because two days after the feasibility study was announced, the Sept. 26 Sacramento State press conference announced plans to completely make over Hornet Stadium at the conclusion of this year’s football season.

Then on Oct. 4, university officials released architectural renderings of the new football stadium to the media.

Alongside the work and efforts of the university, a private group dubbed the “SAC-12” has also been working through private fundraising to elevate the Hornet athletics program into a conference such as the Pac-12. A move of that type would require a football stadium of the size being envisioned by the university.

The SAC-12 group released an official statement on their fundraising efforts, “Following last Thursday’s announcement by Sacramento State University of a new Hornet football stadium, the SAC-12 Executive Committee has rallied the support of local business and community leaders and a local tribe to secure over $35 million in NIL funds for Sacramento State Athletics in just the last 24 hours.”

Messenger Publishing Group reached out to Sac State University on Oct. 2 regarding the possible promotion into the Pac-12 and university officials responded, “Sacramento State Athletics is not publicly commenting on conference affiliation. The Sac-12 group has led the charge for getting Sacramento State into the Pac-12.”