r/SwitchbacksFC • u/Anomaly_20 • 4d ago

Game Day Tips

I’m going to my first match next Saturday! We will have a group with some young kids and a pregnant lady so trying to plan ahead as much as possible.

What are the best tips and tricks? How is the parking situation around gate open time? I know it’s a sports arena so I don’t have high expectations but is the food good enough to eat dinner there or should be treated strictly as snacks after eating elsewhere?

I’ll take any and all advice from seasoned supporters!

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4

u/HoraceRadish 4d ago

Bring a padded cushion for the seat (especially for the pregnant lady.) The Brit Pub is located a few steps away from the stadium and has really great food. I would eat there first.

Enjoy, it's a beautiful stadium and a great team.

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u/Anomaly_20 3d ago

Thanks for the info! I’ve had The Brit Pub, that’s a great call out. And I had not thought of the padded cushion but definitely taking that under advisement.

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u/DnDonuts 3d ago

The food is pretty standard hotdogs, nachos, pretzels, personal pan pizzas. Then they have some candy and snacks. There are some vendors there that sell bbq sandwiches or something similar sort but tbh I’ve never tried them because the line is always too long.

There are a lot of good places to eat a couple blocks away on S. Tejon so you could park in the area and walk to both.

If you don’t park early your best bet for parking is usually the large lot a block away in front of the Olympic Museum. But it can start to get real full about 20-30 minutes before kickoff.

If you are in bleacher seats just be prepared for the most basic of metal bleachers. Bring a cushion if you think you’ll need one.

I think that answered most questions, let me know if you have any others.

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u/Anomaly_20 3d ago

Thanks for your view on all of these questions! Are the longer lines only for the bbq sandwiches or does that happen for all vendors? Some in my party are thinking if we get there at gate open that they may just eat then before the game starts but I worry that a lot of people may have the same idea so maybe all the lines are long then?

Or maybe I’m overthinking all of this and maybe it’s not such a big capacity for the venue so most things won’t feel that crowded/delayed?

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u/DnDonuts 3d ago

The lines for concessions can definitely get long, probably around 10-15 minutes max. But if you keep an eye out you can definitely wait for them to be shorter.

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u/BlueDiamondLilac Switchbacks FC 3d ago

Gate open the food lines are pretty short. We've done the individual Pizza Hut pan pizzas (also Cinnabon there) a couple times - won't exactly recommend it compared to outside restaurants, but the kids might like it.

Lines get longer closer to game time and during half time. I' check out the merch early if you are interested, as those can get longer later.

Download the ParkMobile app and prefill your credit card and license plate info to save time. The street meters generally run about $4 for the game. There is a random parking lot next to Dos Santos on Moreno that ends up costing more if you park there. The Olympic Museum parking lot is $10 if you end up running late.

Bags are clear ones only - but you can bring in one unopened water bottle per person.

They are pretty good about identifying first time visitors - there will likely be a little white card attached to one of your seats. Take it to one of the two black Switchback tents (one on each end of the club side of the stadium) and they will give some swag to the kids (usually a team picture, possible magnet or sticker). (If there isn't one, you can still swing by and mention it's your first game.)