Texas State Not Expected To Lose Money From SMCISD Stadium Move

By Jordan Gass-Poore’
Web Content Manager

Texas State does not expect to lose money because San Marcos Consolidated Independent School District will no longer rent Bobcat Stadium now that the district has its own stadium.

In fact, the move may help save the university money.

What the university was charging SMCISD to rent the stadium did not cover all costs, said Bill Nance, Texas State’s vice president for finance and support services, by phone.

When stadium utility, equipment and parking costs, among others, are totalled Texas State did not make money from the district renting it, said Larry Teis, Texas State athletic director, in an email.

If anything, this collaboration cost the university money.

The cost for the stadium’s turf, which saw more wear and tear with San Marcos High School football games, cost $600,000 and was expected to last a decade, said Teis.

Nance estimated that the last replacement turf cost between $800,000 and $1 million.

Instead, replacement turf was needed two years shy of that date, Teis said.

Light bulbs are also expensive to burn and replace, he added. Bobcat Stadium’s annual electricity bill could not be determined by time of publication because a study to review past electric bills has not been conducted, Nance said.

The stadium’s electricity is operated by the City of San Marcos, not the university, he said.

Cleaning the stadium was also an expense to the university. Those employees were sometimes pressed for time when the Bobcats played the day following the Rattlers.

Teis said the stadium typically has two-to-three Texas State Athletic Department staff members, as well as a university plumber and electrician present per game, including those played by the Rattlers.

SMCISD has been renting the stadium from the university for 31 years — until now.

In May 2013 more than half of voters approved the proposition to build an $18.4 million stadium situated on the southeast side of San Marcos High School. For the first time in history, the district will own, maintain and operate a stadium.

This new stadium has saved the district $8,000 to rent Bobcat Stadium, $2,929 in security fees and $2,431 in workers, totaling $13,360 per game.

“It was costly,” said Mark Soto, SMCISD’s athletic director.

It also cost the university time.

Teis said when San Marcos High School’s football team played Thursday night games it “messed up” the Bobcats practice.

No other football team will take San Marcos High School’s Friday night slot, Teis said.

Visiting college football teams come to Bobcat Stadium on Fridays to unload their equipment trucks and practice, he said, so the facility will remain vacant for them.

Some high school football playoff games are expected to continue to be played at Bobcat Stadium.

The university charges a $10,000 flat fee per playoff game, Teis said.

“This is also not a big money maker, but it gives a lot of fans and potential high school students a chance to see our campus and spend money in San Marcos …,” he said.

Costs for hosting an athletic event in general at Bobcat Stadium varies and is dependent on the time of day, anticipated crowd and staff number, weather and if it is going to be televised, among others, Teis said.

He added that the university’s athletic department has an annually fluctuating game management budget that covers all facilities and game-day operations for all sports and includes staff.

Leftover budget funds are then moved to the department’s travel budget, he said.

Teis said he does not know of any other Football Bowl Subdivision team in the country that shares or has shared their facility with a high school.

The university has and will continue to help the district, he added.

“I think they are happy to finally have a stadium to call their own,” Teis said.