Valley soccer fever

Who will actually determine the fate of a much-talked-about plan to expand San Diego State University onto the Mission Valley land currently occupied by Qualcomm Stadium? Judging from last month’s minutes of the school’s Campanile Foundation board, professional sports has the upper hand.

SDSU president Elliot Hirschman “explained that San Diego State has two tracks to consider.” Either “partner with the Chargers to support a stadium in downtown San Diego,” or “partner with a Major League Soccer franchise and share a stadium in Mission Valley.” Either way, taxpayers are expected to be hit with an ultimate bill considerably more than the cost of renovating the current Qualcomm venue, an option not part of the president’s game plan.

Related Hirschman in an April 2 blog post, “We see a future in Mission Valley with community parks and recreational opportunities, low- to medium-density housing, a small number of research/technology transfer facilities and, possibly, a stadium — one on a significantly smaller scale than Qualcomm Stadium — that could be shared by San Diego State, a Major League Soccer franchise and other community partners.”