College of the Desert officially unveils new athletic stadium

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – College of the Desert has officially cut the ribbon and unveiled the new athletic stadium on campus. The celebration coincided with the homecoming game for the Roadrunners football team, kicking off a night of excitement.

"It's just such a great opportunity to showcase who we are as a campus, but also let them know that we are still here for them and we support all of our community," COD Superintendent and President Val Martinez Garcia said.

The new COD stadium complex project has been a long-awaited project, with the groundbreaking taking place in December 2024.

The $38.5 million dollar project was a part of a phased development plan identified in the 2020 Athletics Facilities Feasibility study.

The first phase involved the demolition of the existing football stadium to make way for a 20,000-square-foot stadium building, featuring team locker rooms, a 3,000-square-foot weight room, sports officials' facilities, and auxiliary spaces such as equipment storage, laundry, video, and IT rooms.

The project also installed new sports lighting for the football and soccer fields and create newly landscaped and renovated parking areas.

Now that it's complete, COD officials hope fans, alumni and student-athletes notice the college's commitment to improving the future.

"This particular space is gonna give opportunities to our students to be able to be able to compete at the highest level possible, because they can train at the highest level possible," Martinez Garcia said. "But also they're going to be coached and taught at the highest level possible."

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage on College of the Desert.