Stanford Football Set to Hold Open Practice at Kezar Stadium

College football is coming back to the City by the Bay. This week the Stanford Cardinal announced that they would conduct an open spring practice on Saturday, April 11 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, returning to the stadium for the first time since 2012.

The practice will be open to the general public and will have free admission, giving Stanford fans, alumni and everybody in between their first shot to catch the 2026 team in action.

The Cardinal previously held practice at Kezar Stadium in 2010, '11 and '12, holding the annual Spring Game at the venue before permanently playing it at Stanford from 2013 to present day.

But with a new era of Stanford football in place, including having a new head coach in Tavita Pritchard, the program wanted to return to their roots from their days of perennial success in the 2010s and invite fans to watch them practice in the Bay Area's hub city.

In addition to practicing at Kezar from 2010-12, the Cardinal have also played home games at the stadium over the years, first playing there in 1928 followed by more games there in 1940 and '42. Kezar has a deep rooted football history, being the home stadium for the NFL's San Francisco 49ers from 1946-1970.

"We are excited to return to Kezar Stadium in San Francisco for a spring practice," Stanford football general manager Andrew Luck said.

"There is a rich history of Bay Area football at Kezar, and some of the early foundations of Stanford football would be incomplete without it. Bringing a spring practice back to San Francisco and back to Kezar Stadium is a tremendous opportunity to showcase our program."

Gates for the open practice at Kezar open at 1:30 p.m., with practice slated to run from 2-4 p.m. When the gates open and through the end of practice, a fan fest will take place that includes food trucks, inflatables and interactive games. Immediately upon the conclusion of practice, an autograph session will be held.

Pay parking is available in the Kezar Stadium lot as well as in nearby lots such as Parnassus Avenue Garage, UCSF Millberry Union Public Garage and the Music Concourse Garage, while free/metered parking is available in the nearby neighborhoods. But for fans that do not want to deal with parking, public transportation is available such as BART, Muni, CalTrain and the ferry.

A former quarterback for the Cardinal back during the glory days of the program, Pritchard understands the significance of a Kezar practice while also understanding what football means to the city of San Francisco. The proximity of Stanford to San Francisco, as well as the connection that many Stanford alumni have to the city make this event even more special too.

"First and foremost, there’s always been a connection between Stanford and The City," Pritchard said. "Obviously there is the proximity, but on a personal level, my wife lived up there after she graduated from Stanford, so we spent a lot of time up there. A lot of Stanford alums set up shop there, so we have a really strong connection there and it’s fun to highlight that and all the great history that’s been made in that stadium."

Entering the 2026, the expectations for the Cardinal may not be very high, but the program is still hungry to surprise a lot of people and show that they have what it takes to not only make a bowl game, but compete in a loaded ACC.

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