In the spring of 2024, Interbay Stadium will be standing-room only. Construction began in December 2023 and is slated to be finished during the spring of 2024. The City of Seattle is completing long-overdue updates to the Interbay Athletics Complex. The construction cuts off access to all but the field at Seattle Pacific University soccer’s home during the off-season.
According to information on the City of Seattle’s website, the project will improve accessibility by bringing Interbay Stadium into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The renovation addresses 126 items on the Citywide Barrier Removal Schedule, including adding accessible parking stalls and pathways, removing ADA barriers within the fieldhouse building and adding a new lift in the fieldhouse.
During construction, the SPU men’s and women’s soccer teams and other groups using Interbay will not have access to the fieldhouse, which houses the coaches’ office, locker rooms, training room, referee room, concession stand, bathrooms and press box.
While inconvenient, men’s soccer head coach Kevin Sakuda is proud of his team’s ability to deal with adversity.
“The guys have adjusted to it fine,” Sakuda said. “The biggest thing is that we have lost access to the locker room and the upstairs area, where we typically do video. It’s more like a club soccer training where you kind of show up, put your stuff on and go.”
The already less-than-ideal parking situation is made worse by the small lot at Interbay being closed during construction. Redshirt freshman forward Alex Hristov described some of the obstacles posed by the closure.
“We have to leave 5-10 minutes earlier than usual,” Hristov said. “We have to find parking nearby on the street or at other businesses. It’s definitely harder for some of the injured guys who have to walk a lot further than normal.”
Compromise is key, and the parks department has been working hard to listen to feedback and ensure those needing to use the field can access it. Due to liability concerns from contractor Western Ventures, the teams cannot access the controls for the lights located inside the construction area. Until recently, the city sent someone to turn the lights on every time a team had training, which was a major hassle for both parties.
“That is just one of the things that come with the construction, but the reward of having a newer, cleaner space will be great,” Sakuda said. “It’s gonna be on a timer now, and they can just schedule it in advance.”
Although the stands will not be open during SPU’s spring soccer season, fans will still be welcome. Those who come out for games must watch from the sidelines, creating a more intimate atmosphere.
“We are blessed to have the parks accommodate our needs and allow us to still be out on the field as construction is going on,” Busey said. “I think that is a compromise that both groups came to that has been extremely beneficial to us because to have to change venues as to where we train and practice would be even more consequential.”
Even amongst these challenges, neither team will have to cancel any scheduled games, practices or camps thanks to collaboration with the city. Women’s soccer head coach Arbey Busey thinks the payoff will be well worth the inconvenience the construction poses.
“The upgrades are going to allow us to facilitate more people whose needs we haven’t addressed as well as we should have in the past. We are happy to bear the burden of a little bit of an inconvenience to allow them to come watch,” Busey said.
