The Aztexan

It's been long rumored, practically guaranteed in previous statements, but now it's officially official: the Austin Aztex will play at AISD's House Park in 2010. The downtown stadium is technically located at 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd, though most think of it as being on Lamar Blvd (Google Map).

Yes, it will still be artificial turf. Yes, it will still have gridiron lines painted on it. Yes, it will still be on public high school grounds, so there will be no beer sales.

But here's why House Park will be a better home to our Austin Aztex:

• No track — not having that wide gulf of a track between the pitch and the stands, brings the fans a good 10 yards closer to the action. Click on this picture to see how much closer the stands are to the field.
  
  Aztexan exclusive: Comparison of House Park to Nelson Field; click the picture to switch views. (Sadly, neither field looks quite like that anymore; they're both now artificial turf with American football lines.)
  Images: Google Maps


• Smaller capacity — owner Phil Rawlins explains this benefit well in the Statesman article:
  

  The 10,000-capacity [Nelson Field] stadium often swallowed the 3,000-4,000 fans usually in attendance at an Aztex game.
  
  House Park seats 6,500, which could create a better atmosphere at games.
  
  "If we're averaging 3,000-4,000, we can use both sides of the stands and have a great atmosphere," Rawlins said.

• Lower ticket prices — seating will be general admission, and tickets will be $15 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under (kids under 5 are free). Sure, they could have done this at Nelson, but it will be another good boost to next year's attendance. It also shows responsiveness to fan feedback that the prices this year were on the steep side ($22 or $18 for adults).


• It's downtown — House is more centrally located to the heart of Austin, with the city skyline visible right from the stands. Several watering holes, such as The Tavern, are within walking distance of the stadium. It's also more accessible to more transit options, not to mention tens of thousands of UT students.


• It pleases Chantico — the patron Aztec goddess of Austin supporters is known, after all, as "she who dwells in the house".

There have been well-founded concerns about the parking situation at House, which is summed up more or less as "there is none". However, the Austin Community College (ACC) just opened a brand new 7-story parking garage practically next door to House. According to the ACC website, the garage will be open to the public on Friday nights for high school football games at House. I've heard from the Aztex that they are talking to ACC about a similar arrangement for their games.

With the results we've been seeing from our Red & White this season, we've already started looking to next year. The announcement that House will be our new home makes the outlook for 2010 even more appealing.

Labels: stadium