George Allen Field
Tenants and history
It is currently the home of the Long Beach State 49ers women's soccer team. The stadium was named after George Allen, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who coached the Long Beach State football program for one season shortly before his death.
Push for a new stadium
Despite the relative success of the women's soccer program, the program was still confined to George Allen Field. Men's volleyball head coach, Alan Knipe, had previously been in a similar situation with men's volleyball. Upon the completion of the Walter Pyramid, his program saw a sharp increase in recruiting and interest from prospects. This is the same situation that the women's soccer program was mired in and Knipe summed up the state of the field:
George Allen is our old football coach. That shows where our priority is with women's soccer.
— Alan Knipe, Daily 49er
In early 2009, the Beach Legacy Referendum, which in part was due to give Long Beach State a new 3,000 to 5,000 seat stadium, was defeated by the students with a vote of 3,912–2,615.
Other uses
George Allen Field was used in the movie American Wedding, from the American Pie film series.
References
- ^ "Soccer team one beneficiary of Beach Legacy". Daily 49er. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- ^ "Long Beach State athletics fee defeated". Press-Telegram (Long Beach). March 13, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.