The Grand Valley State football team enjoys the friendly confines of Arend D. Lubbers Stadium, one of the top Division II facilities in the nation. Gameday at Lubbers Stadium brings a buzz of excitement and pride to the Laker football program. The surroundings of Lubbers Stadium have changed almost yearly and add to the overall festivities that are a part of a Laker football Saturday during the fall. GVSU led the nation in attendance for the 11th consecutive year in 2022, averaging 11,681. In 2017, the Lakers set a single-season, school-record average of 13,342 for five home dates, while the 2016 season with eight home games set the GVSU single-season, school-record for total season attendance with 100,388 for eight home games. The single-game record was establshed in 2021 when 17,007 fans attended the GVSU - Ferris State tilt.
The most recent addition to Lubbers Stadium is the addition and renovation of the Jamie Hosford Football Center.
Hosford Football Center highlights
• 22,000-square-foot building that includes a new building added on to a complete renovation of the ex
isting football center.
• Expanded team locker room that houses 120 lockers.
• New athletic training/rehabilitation room.
• Complete all-team meeting room with 120 theater style seats for full team meetings and film review. Room can be divided into two meeting spaces and can host small groups throughout the year.
• Champions Lobby: Visitors at the building's entrance will see team and individual trophies, jerseys of Laker football players who played professionally and names of building donors.
• Five position meeting rooms: These spaces will be used by position groups like wide receivers or defensive linemen, and position coaches will have dedicated spaces to meet with individual recruits.
• New equipment room with storage and laundry.
A new video board that was unveiled for the 2016 football campaign. The board stands 40 feet tall and is 72.5 feet wide for a total display area of 2,900 square feet in the north end zone. The board features 977,408 pixels that offers six percent more resolution than a high definition television and a refresh rate of 24,000 Hz that is 100 times faster than a standard TV. The video display will have a 9,000 night brightness that will allow it to still pop in direct sunlight. The video board is the 40th largest on campus board in the country.
The field was lowered by eight feet and the track surrounding the field was removed prior to the 2012 campaign. Four rows of seats were installed and wrap around the field to accentuate the horseshoe that added about 2,000 seats. A grass slope also was also installed on the north side of the field underneath the video board, which will move the band to the southeast corner of the stadium. The finished project, which includes the installation of an artificial turf playing surface, upped the capacity to 10,444.
In 2011 the stadium saw a renovated student section with a permanent bathroom and concession building located behind. Two seating sections were added to each end of the west side stands to accommodate the overflow crowds that have been a part of Lubbers Stadium since 2001.
The Lakers moved all of their football operations into the GVSU Football Center and the Rob Odejewski Weight Room in 2002. The design doubled the size of the former building in the north end zone by adding over 4,000 square feet (2,000 Square feet on each side). Permanent lighting, a new playing surface, and six executive suites located on each side of the press box
GVSU set a Lubbers Stadium and GLIAC single-game, on-campus record with the 16,889 fans that watched Grand Valley State claim a 35-23
vi
Dr. Arend Lubbers
ctory over Ferris State. The Lakers set a GLIAC single-season attendance record in 2016 as 85,130 fans watched GVSU regular season GLIAC home games.
Designed with the future in mind, the stadium can have permanent seating added when needed, with ultimate expansion to 20,000 seats.
The stadium and track complex was dedicated on September 15, 1979, and named in honor of former Grand Valley State president, Arend D. Lubbers. Lubbers was instrumental in raising more than $700,000 toward the $1,050,000 project. The majority of the cost was offset by gifts from GVSU football fans and private donors.
The original Lubbers Stadium was built around the existing football field of Prescription Athletic Turf (PAT). The field, which is drained and heated by more than seven miles of tubing and electric coils, was installed in 1972, and opened in 1973.
The Lubbers Stadium press box was designed to accommodate both print and electronic media representatives. It’s spacious features include a television booth, two radio booths and an open air television and film platform on the second deck.
Grand Valley’s football team has been very successful in games at Lubbers Stadium. The Lakers have an all-time record of 237-51-1 (.829) since the stadium was completed in 1979 and GVSU is 130-17 at home since 2001.
