Valley Children’s Stadium sits on the campus of California State University, Fresno, and has served as the home field of the Fresno State Bulldogs football team since it opened on November 15, 1980. For more than four decades, fans have known the venue by its nickname, “The Doghouse,” a reference to the raucous home-field advantage it gives the Bulldogs.
The stadium carried the name Bulldog Stadium for its first four decades before Valley Children’s Healthcare signed a naming-rights agreement, and the CSU Board of Trustees made the Valley Children’s Stadium name official in July 2022. The venue now seats about 40,727 and continues to host Fresno State football as the program enters the Pac-12 Conference.
Stats at a Glance
- Team: Fresno State Bulldogs (Pac-12 Conference)
- Location: Fresno, California
- Opened: November 15, 1980
- Capacity: About 40,727
- Playing surface: AstroTurf (artificial turf)
- Nickname: “The Doghouse”
- Notable fact: Renamed from Bulldog Stadium to Valley Children’s Stadium in 2022 under a naming-rights deal with Valley Children’s Healthcare
From Bulldog Stadium to Valley Children’s Stadium
The stadium opened on November 15, 1980, with an initial capacity of around 30,000, built at a construction cost of roughly $7.2 million. A two-phase expansion in the early 1990s pushed capacity above 40,000, and the bowl has held close to that number ever since, with the current listed capacity at about 40,727.
In 2021, Valley Children’s Healthcare agreed to a decade-long naming-rights partnership with the university, and the new name became official the following year. The rebrand kept the venue’s identity tied to the Fresno community while giving the decades-old facility a modern sponsor partnership.
Game Day at The Doghouse
The stadium’s red-and-white checkerboard end zones are a signature visual, and the record crowd of 42,881 packed in for a 2001 matchup. The playing surface has evolved from natural grass to FieldTurf and, since 2019, AstroTurf.
Beyond football, the stadium’s location on the Fresno State campus makes it a gathering point for Bulldogs fans on fall Saturdays, anchoring the university’s athletics program in the Central Valley.
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For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
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For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
Valley Children’s Stadium FAQs
Why was Bulldog Stadium renamed Valley Children’s Stadium?
Valley Children’s Healthcare signed a naming-rights agreement with Fresno State, and the CSU Board of Trustees made the new name official in July 2022, ending the stadium’s original Bulldog Stadium identity from 1980.
What is the capacity of Valley Children’s Stadium?
The stadium’s current capacity is about 40,727, though it has held crowds as large as 42,881 for a 2001 game.
Who plays at Valley Children’s Stadium?
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team has called the stadium home since it opened on November 15, 1980.
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Photo: David Prasad / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.