Members of the Palomar College softball and football teams will soon be able to play their sports at the San Marcos campus in new stadiums offering a better experience for both athletes and fans.

The new softball stadium, set to open during the spring semester, has 207 seats, and includes a press box, bullpens, batting cages, and a natural turf outfield. The new football stadium – the first ever at Palomar College – is set to open in the summer and will feature state-of-the art technology and 3,600 seats designed for premier gametime engagement.

“The new facilities represent the commitment that Palomar College has for its student athletes,” said Daniel Lynds, director of athletics at Palomar College.

Until now, members of the Palomar College softball team have played at Bradley Park in San Marcos. Softball Coach Lacey Craft said staff had to haul equipment to the park for games and practices, and players had to factor in travel time to and from the park to get to their classes on campus.

Despite those challenges, the softball team excelled in 2023, with a 43-3 record and runners-up in the state championship. The team was also one of 23 athletic programs in the state recognized as a Scholar Team by the California Community College Athletic Association for its teamwide 3.54 grade point average.

Craft said the new stadium will provide softball players with the same opportunities they would have if they were attending a four-year university.

“The new stadium is something that’s long overdue in our program,” she said. “It’s going to make a big impact on how we can improve our students’ development.”

While much of the attention is focused on getting the softball stadium ready for use, work on the football stadium is also progressing. Dennis Astl, manager of construction and facilities planning at Palomar College, said the football stadium details are coming together nicely and with such a dedicated team of experts on the project, we will be ready for the 2024 football season.   

Lynds said holding football games at Palomar College will be exciting for the athletes and will bring the community onto the campus. The team has been holding its games at area high schools.

“The football program is 76 years old, and they’ve never played a genuine home game,” Lynds said. “It’s exciting for our student athletes and coaches and Palomar College to have an authentic home field.”

Both stadium projects are funded by Proposition M, the $694 million bond measure that was approved by voters in 2006. These are among the final projects funded by Prop M.  Others include a 40,000 square foot building at the Fallbrook Education Center (referred to as Fallbrook 40), a field house that will be built adjacent to the new stadiums, and the modernization of the old library building at the San Marcos campus.  Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for Summer 2024 for both the field house and Fallbrook 40.

In related news, the Palomar College Vision Plan 2035, a long-term educational and facilities plan was recently adopted by the Palomar Community College District Governing Board.  “The Vision Plan 2035 includes data informed recommendations on how to best serve the future generations of students and employees.  With this in mind, the District is exploring the feasibility of the likelihood of taxpayer support for a new general obligation bond,” said Superintendent/President Dr. Star Rivera-Lacey.  More information is available at the Bond Feasibility webpage.