College of the Desert recently completed a $38.6 million facilities renovation for its football team and athletics staff, and the Roadrunners will open their new stadium Saturday against San Bernardino Valley College.
The project, which broke ground in December 2024, includes a new 35,824-square foot stadium building with team locker rooms, athletics staff offices, an expanded sports medicine space and a 3,000-square foot weight room.
It also includes a fully renovated, ADA compliant stadium with a home grandstand, with 643 home seats, 298 visitor’s seats, new restrooms, new stadium lighting and a renovated parking lot.
“It’s a change in attitude,” Roadrunners head football coach Jack Steptoe said. “You can see the difference. It’s a total attitude change in terms
of excitement.”
College of the Desert will host an official grand opening to the stadium ahead of the Homecoming football game on Oct. 3, but their first home game will be played this Saturday. The Roadrunners are 2-1 on the season with one win coming by forfeit.
"Everyone loves the new stadium and facilities," said sophomore running back Aiden Nsubuga, who graduated from La Quinta High School. "We're all really excited to play on the new field and take advantage of what we have here."
Athletics director Kaytlyn Blank emphasized that the stadium renovation will aid more than the football program. She said that the project creates a centralized athletics hub that supports all student-athletes with access to premier facilities and staff that the school believes will promote performance, wellness and academic success.
“The upgrades also allow us to host athletic events that create a game-day environment that instills pride in our student-athletes, coaches, alumni, and supporters,” Blank said. “Most importantly, this investment demonstrates College of the Desert's commitment to providing an exceptional student experience which play a significant role in recruitment, retention, and overall student success.”
Funding for the project came via Measure CC, a local voter-approved bond that passed with 72.7% approval on Nov. 6, 2016.
Steptoe said that while the project took many years to come to fruition, it has been worth the wait. He compared the new facilities to that of a smaller Division I program and local players said that it’s given them added incentive to stay local instead of seeking their education and football opportunities elsewhere.
"The facilities we now have here have that 'Wow' factor, for sure," Nsubuga said. "I think a lot of local kids will definitely want to be a part of this program with this renovation and these facilities. It really gives us all we could ever want from a junior college athletics experience."
Andrew John covers sports and recreation in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Get a sneak peek at College of the Desert's new $38.6 million athletics complex
