The University of Houston will move Saturday’s spring football game to its outdoor practice fields due to “field safety concerns” at TDECU Stadium, the school announced Tuesday.
A recent walk-through of the venue revealed “damage to multiple areas of the playing surface” that made the artificial surface “unsafe to play on,” UH’s athletic department said in a statement.
The damage occurred as part of the setup process for Wheeler Avenue Baptist’s Easter service, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. The church, which borders the UH campus, contracted a company to erect a large stage that covered most of the area from the end zone to 20-yard line on the west side of the stadium, according to a video of the service posted on the church’s YouTube page.
A crane used by the company may have been larger than agreed upon, causing damage to the stadium’s turf, the sources said.
The school did not provide any additional details about the incident.
“Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church has enjoyed a decades-long partnership with the University of Houston.” the church said in a statement. “That partnership was once again evident as we transformed the TDECU Stadium into our place of worship for Easter Sunday, accommodating over 10,000 individuals. Today, we were made aware of possible damage to the field, and we are in conversation with our partners in the athletics department regarding the matter.”
It’s common for schools to rent out facilities, especially during the offseason, to generate additional revenue.
Saturday’s spring game will begin at 9:30 a.m. Parking is available at the Stadium Garage. Fans can enter the practice fields off Holman Street, directly across from the indoor practice facility.
Haajrah Gilani contributed to this report.