Long Beach City College's $250 Million Sports Complex Replaces Veterans Memorial Stadium

• Long Beach City College is replacing Veterans Memorial Stadium on the college's Liberal Arts Campus in Long Beach, California, with an approximately 18-acre Stadium and Athletic Sports Complex.
• The $250 million project will include a new stadium, a 2,500-seat arena, sports fields and courts, athletic training and rehabilitation facilities, kinesiology classrooms, offices and a hall of champions.
• The existing stadium, which has served Long Beach for about 70 years, is scheduled for demolition as construction moves forward.
• The new complex is expected to be completed in summer 2029, with construction beginning in fall 2026.
• The project is funded through Measure LB, an $850 million bond program approved to finance Long Beach City College construction projects.

What The New Sports Complex Will Include

Long Beach City College is moving ahead with a major transformation of its athletic facilities, replacing Veterans Memorial Stadium with a new Stadium and Athletic Sports Complex. The approximately 18-acre project will include about 180,000 square feet of new construction and more than 40,000 square feet of demolition. The new complex is planned to consolidate several athletic facilities that are currently spread across the college campus. The program will include a new football stadium, a 2,500-seat arena, fields for football, soccer and track, basketball and volleyball courts, athletic training and rehabilitation facilities, offices, kinesiology classrooms and a hall of champions.

What The New Stadium Will Bring

The replacement stadium is being designed as a modern successor to Veterans Memorial Stadium while maintaining a connection to the historic venue. Project materials identify a 10,000-seat stadium as part of the new complex, which will support collegiate and community athletics. The new facility is also expected to meet NCAA competition guidelines, positioning the complex as a major athletic destination for Long Beach City College and the surrounding community.

What Is Happening To Veterans Memorial Stadium

The existing Veterans Memorial Stadium is scheduled for demolition after roughly seven decades of service. The stadium opened in 1950 and became a major part of Long Beach's sports history. It hosted high school, college and professional football, track and field competitions, motorcycle racing, rugby and other community events. It also served as a location for film productions and community activities. The stadium's origins date back to 1945, when 17 Long Beach-area soldiers serving in the South Pacific wrote to the city asking for a stadium honoring local residents who had died during World War II. The replacement therefore represents more than a conventional athletic renovation. It marks the end of one of Long Beach's most recognizable sports venues while creating a significantly larger and more modern athletic complex.

What The Project Means For Long Beach City College

The new complex is designed to bring athletic facilities that are currently distributed across the campus into one coordinated destination. Along with competition venues, the project will provide spaces for athletic training, rehabilitation and kinesiology education, allowing the complex to support both student-athletes and academic programs. The development is also expected to create a new community gathering place, with the college describing the facility as an inviting destination for the broader Long Beach community.

What The Construction Timeline Looks Like

Long Beach City College currently lists construction as scheduled to begin in fall 2026, with completion expected in summer 2029. The demolition of Veterans Memorial Stadium will take place as the college begins transitioning to the new complex. During construction, Long Beach City College and area high schools will need to relocate some athletic events and graduation ceremonies that previously took place at the stadium.

What The Financing Covers

The project carries a total budget of approximately $250 million and is funded through Measure LB, the college's bond program for campus construction and modernization. The investment will cover the demolition of the existing stadium, construction of the new athletic facilities and the broader site improvements needed to create the consolidated sports complex.

What The New Complex Means For The Community

The redevelopment will replace an aging stadium with a much broader athletic campus capable of supporting multiple sports, education programs and community events. The project preserves the idea of Veterans Memorial Stadium as a community gathering place while significantly expanding what the site can offer. Once complete, the new complex will include multiple competition venues, training facilities, classrooms and community-oriented spaces rather than a single stadium. For Long Beach City College, the project represents one of the largest investments in its athletic infrastructure and is expected to remain a major campus feature for decades.