Here’s why a new downtown stadium would be a big upgrade for Sacramento Republic fans
For a modest stadium that seats roughly 11,000 fans and hosts a USL team, Heart Health Park has been a good venue for the Sacramento Republic FC.
It’s spacious, there’s plenty of parking and it’s close to thoroughfares alongside Cal Expo in Arden Arcade. The atmosphere is good and fans are engaged. It is a unique environment, with Sacramento among the league leaders in attendance, typically averaging around 10,000 fans a game.
Heart Health Park was built for just $3 million in 2014, and the age is showing, but it’s a unique atmosphere for a USL team.
“I do think it’s one of a kind,” midfielder and Sacramento native Matt LeGrassa said. “I think this stadium’s one of a kind, I think these fans are one of a kind. It’s such a privilege and honor to play for them every week.”
Said coach Mark Briggs: “The noise, the fans, the constant beating of the drums, the constant singing. What player wouldn’t want to play in this environment? What coach wouldn’t want to coach in this environment? It was fantastic and I would only expect it to get better as the season goes on.”
If done correctly, that intense environment would stay intact with the team’s proposed downtown venue, just blocks north of Golden 1 Center. If attendance at the March 12 home opener was any indication, fans would flock to a new stadium closer to downtown.
It may take years, if it ever happens, for the MLS to come to Sacramento. The league recently announced an expansion team in Las Vegas which will debut sometime after 2023. That will follow the addition of Charlotte in 2022 and St. Louis in 2023. The MLS will have 30 teams once Las Vegas is on board and its unclear if the league will continue to expand. Austin FC was the latest team to join the league in 2021.
While Sacramento’s MLS aspirations appear to be on hold, fans of Republic FC could be in for an MLS-worthy experience at a new stadium.
Most of Heart Health Park’s seating is metal benches, which are tough to deal with during the hot months and are uncomfortable. The current stadium also has portable bathrooms in addition to a couple of state fair-worthy bathrooms. Food options are limited, though aided greatly by nearly a dozen local food trucks that line the north end of the stadium.
During night games early in the year, like Saturday’s home opener, the temperature dipped into the 40s. The only option for a hot drink — coffee, tea or hot chocolate — was at a dessert food truck with a 25-minute line, with no way of keeping track of what was happening on the pitch.
The sound system at Heart Health Park is old and difficult to hear. The video board is small and blurry. Fans have to hunt for a time clock; they’re hidden among the advertising on the sidelines. That makes difficult finding the score and seeing how much time has elapsed. It doesn’t have an actual press box and press seating has moved around the stadium for the last few years.
This season, reporters watch games from the backless metal benches near midfield in the west grandstands.
In the unlikely event it rains, there’s no cover for almost anybody, just as there’s no respite from the sun in the hot months unless you have access to the VIP area behind the south goal.
Rob and Jennifer Ehrhardt, season ticket holders who have been coming to games since 2015, enjoy Heart Health Park. Their children play soccer and they see others involved in their children’s leagues at Republic FC games. They enjoy seeing familiar faces and options the food trucks provide, but they would support a new stadium with more amenities.
“Probably something more permanent would be a little bit nicer,” Rob Ehrhardt said. “Probably a little more comfortable and the setup might be better.”
The couple said they recently attended a game at PayPal Park in San Jose, home of the Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. It’s a $100 million venue that seats 18,000, with field level luxury suits, a large outdoor bar, modern scoreboard and a large grass area for kids and food trucks. It opened in 2015.
“It’s much bigger, it’s more comfortable just the way they built it,” Ehrhardt said. “This is portable, so it’d be nice to have a fixed spot.”
Heart Health Park’s grandstands are all temporary metal bleachers, making it an eyesore, though it was affordable at the time it was built. It cost roughly $3 million to construct the stadium in 2014 just west of Raging Waters water park in Cal Expo.
After two games, the team is averaging 10,138 fans per game, second best in the league. A new stadium could have more comfortable seating, the ability to hit the concession stands and not miss any game action, more bathrooms, and perhaps an overhang to shield fans from the sun or rain.
The team wants to do it. Fans would benefit. The question is whether city officials and landowners can reach a deal with the team to build a stadium.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Here’s why a new downtown stadium would be a big upgrade for Sacramento Republic fans."
