Cal-Berkeley Installs Beautiful New Football Field With Disappointing Omission

Cal football has not been very good in recent years, but it will get a fresh start in 2023. The program recently installed a beautiful new field at Memorial Stadium that will see its first action during spring ball next month.

However, as gorgeous as it is, there is one notable, disappointing omission.

Cal Memorial Stadium was funded from public contributions as a memorial to Californians who lost their lives in World War I, hence the name. It first opened on the campus of the University of California-Berkeley as a grass field in November of 1923.

The stadium had grass until 1980, switched to AstroTurf until 1994, returned to grass in 1995 and has had various different types of turf since 2003. It is FieldTurf today.

10 years ago, in September of 2012, Memorial Stadium underwent a $321 million renovation. All of this goes to say that it is has seen a lot of change throughout its storied history.

The most recent change was announced over the weekend.

Cal football rolled out a new turf field for 2023.

It is a clean, simple design with a beautiful script font in the end zone.

As good looking as it may be, there is one key feature missing— the fault line.

Memorial Stadium was built directly atop the Hayward Fault. The Hayward Fault is a member of the San Andreas Fault system, which forms the boundary between the North American and the Pacific tectonic plates.

The Hayward Fault (Image courtesy: University of California Berkeley)

It runs right through the middle of Memorial Stadium.

Considering the structural importance of the fault line under the field, Cal's old turf featured a painted line on its north end zone. The line represented the Hayward Fault.

Here is a closer look:

Unfortunately, the new turf does not feature the fault line, which may have been the coolest part of the old turf. It may have even been the coolest part of any field in the country.

Fortunately, considering that it is literally just paint, it is not too late. Do the right thing, Cal! Bring back the Hayward Fault line!