My visit to BBVA Compass Stadium was a welcomed visit as I had never been in the venue before. It was your typical Saturday afternoon but this one included a match-up between The Alabama State University Hornets and The Texas Southern University Tigers.
Based on the stadium being neighbors with Minute Maid Park and Toyota Center, it made perfect sense to arrive early to tailgate and enjoy the Homecoming festivities that Texas Southern was providing.
Here are my thoughts on BBVA Compass Stadium.
Pros
With this being my first time in a soccer stadium, I did not know what to expect upon arrival. The design is rather interesting but it adds to the mystique. With this being the home of the Houston Dynamo, all of the stadium signs and wrapping promotes them.
It is a very intimate feel when watching football inside of this stadium. All of the seats are very close to the field so it makes every seat a great seat inside of the stadium. The concessions are also reasonable but again cater to the Dynamo.
With the way the roof is set up in BBVA Compass Stadium, the sound projects very well when the bands are playing. My only familiarity with soccer stadiums before this one was on television so I believe that this design is intentional to project sound better.
Cons
The branding inside of the stadium does not make it feel like a home environment for Texas Southern. The seats and stadium colors match the Houston Dynamo which are no where near the colors of Texas Southern. While there is not a bad seat in the stadium, it does look weird watching football in this particular stadium.
While the concession prices are reasonable, they do not sell merchandise that resembles Texas Southern at their home games. They were selling Houston Dynamo souvenir cups at the concession stands during the game. This would not have stood out if I was at a Dynamo game but I believe Texas Southern should sell their own merchandise at their games.
Overall Game Day Experience
I would give BBVA Compass Stadium a 7 out of 10. It’s a very intimate venue but it should not be used for football. Nothing in this stadium provides a football feel once you are inside except for the grass field. The ground work put in to convert it from soccer to football is minimal as there were visible soccer field lines.
My only recommendation for Texas Southern would be to build a stadium of their own but I am not sure if that is possible. I believe that it would give them a true home field advantage and more of a brand identity when people come to see them play. It is definitely a venue that I have to visit for a Dynamo game in the future.
