Southeast Missouri State University and Southern Illinois University hope to play a football game this fall in Busch Stadium.
The two universities are negotiating with the St. Louis Cardinals to play the first football game in the new stadium’s history on September 21, according to Southeast Missouri athletics director Mark Alnutt.
“That opportunity to play a regional rival which also has a significant number of alum in the St. Louis area, that just brings about great exposure not only to our program but also to both universities from a recruitment standpoint to students,” Alnutt said. “But also when you’re able to hold a football game in a great venue like Busch Stadium, that’s something that’s going to get potentially national exposure, which is a win-win for all parties involved.”
Although the deal is not yet finalized, Alnutt expects to attract between 15,000 and 25,000 fans to cheer on the Redhawks and Salukis.
“They have the most alums in term of any team we have on our schedule for the next couple years. That includes Eastern Illinois, which would be the school after that. So from a proximity standpoint and a distance standpoint, it just made sense to be able to hold a game that would draw mutual interest from both the universities at that venue,” Alnutt said.
Alnutt could not provide details on how much the game would cost the university. Tickets prices will be similar to a home game at Houck Stadium in Cape Girardeau.
Final details should be ironed out within the next two weeks.