March 25, 2011CAL PAGECOLLEGE PAGECOLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGE
CSNBayArea.com staff
Cal football will move its spring practice to the university's Clark Kerr Campus and Oakland's Laney College due to problems with the artificial surface at Witter Rugby Field, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has learned from sources close to the situation.
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Spring practice begins Tuesday, March 29.
The artificial surface at Witter was installed last fall to accommodate the football team during the renovation of Memorial Stadium. It replaced a grass surface that was the rugby team's home field.
The base and drainage system at Witter will be torn up and rebuilt, a process that is likely to take two months.
That the field is not suitable for official activity is evident at a glance. The surface is lumpy and uneven. The footing was an issue at Cal Football Pro Day earlier this month.
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Linebacker Mike Mohamed told reporters attending the March 9 event that the conditions were less than ideal.
"The field isn't exactly in the best shape, Mohamed said. "It's like being on the moon out here -- there's craters everywhere."
In addition to the structural issues, the heavy rains of the past month have made the situation worse.
Cal had previously scheduled spring practices at three remote locations -- at Sacramento's Grant High School (April 9), San Jose's Valley Christian High School (April 16) and San Ramon Valley High School in San Ramon (April 30). The Clark Kerr Campus practice location will be Golden Bear Field.
An official announcement is expected from Cal Friday.
The Bears will open their 2011 season against Fresno State on Sept. 3 at Candlestick Park.