| Arend D. Lubbers Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Stadium Drive, Allendale, MI 49401 |
| Opened | September 15, 1979 [1] |
| Owner | Grand Valley State University |
| Operator | Grand Valley State University |
| Surface | Grass |
| Capacity | 8,950 (2011-present) 8,550 (?-2011) |
| Record attendance | 16,467 (2009)[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Grand Valley State Lakers football (NCAA) (1973-present) | |
Lubbers Stadium, or Arend D. Lubbers Stadium, is a stadium on the Grand Valley State University's campus in Allendale, Michigan, USA. The stadium was named after former university president Arend Lubbers[3]. It is primarily used for American football, and is the home field of the Grand Valley State Lakers. The stadium opened in 1973 and seats 8,950 people-though it almost always holds thousands more fans.[4] The stadium is also home to a football weight training facility.[3]
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Lubbers Stadium hosted its first football game on November 15, 1973 against Kalamazoo College. The stadium was officially dedicated in 1979.[3]
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.
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.[5]
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.
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.
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.
| Rank | Attendance | Year | Game result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16,467 | 2009 | Grand Valley 38, Saginaw Valley 7 |
| 2 | 15,004 | 2011 | Grand Valley 44, Western Oregon 20 |
| 3 | 14,612 | 2008 | Grand Valley 31, Ferris State 13 |
| 4 | 14,557 | 2005 | Grand Valley 30, Ferris State 10 |
| 5 | 14,472 | 2005 | Grand Valley 31, Saginaw Valley 10 |
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