Citing the many rainy days of March and April, UC Davis officials announced late Wednesday that construction delays are likely to push back the opening of the multi-use stadium until early 2007.

The nearly $30 million stadium project has been under construction since last summer. It will serve as the home field for both UC Davis football and women's lacrosse.

University officials had been hoping to play at least a portion of the upcoming 2006 Aggie football season in the stadium, but will now focus their efforts on completing the facility as quickly as possible with an anticipated opening during early 2007. Officials confirmed that the upcoming football season will be played at Toomey Field, which has been the home for the UC Davis football team since 1949.

"Northern California is experiencing a record amount of rainfall and it has impacted construction of not only our project, but construction projects throughout the region," said Athletics Director Greg Warzecka. "We knew the one variable out of our control with the construction of the stadium was the weather. Unfortunately, it has delayed progress much more than anyone anticipated."

Construction crews lost 19 working days to persistent rain during the month of March, more than double the number of "rain days" anticipated during planning. The number of lost working days for April has already exceeded what was planned for that month, too. In all, UC Davis officials estimate that the wet weather had resulted in approximately 25 lost construction days through early April.

"We're anxious to move forward and resume construction at a pace that good weather allows," said Warzecka. "Unfortunately, the ground is so saturated that it's just going to be a slow process to get that momentum going again."

The below-ground multi-use stadium has already been dug and some concrete for the facility poured. Additionally, much of the below-ground infrastructure has been installed. However, construction has been halted much of the past two months.

When completed, the stadium complex will provide a venue for community and regional events, such as high school athletic events, concerts and commencement ceremonies. The initial concept design calls for permanent seating for 10,000 to 12,000 spectators, along with basic amenities such as locker rooms, a club room and an enclosed press box.

"While we're disappointed in not being able to use it as early as we had hoped," Warzecka said, "we're excited about its future."

The stadium complex is one of the projects funded by the 1999 Facilities And Campus Enhancement Initiative (FACE). Student-based fees from the FACE Initiative account for almost two-thirds of the $29.75 million project cost, with the remaining funds comprising private donations and other revenues.

The stadium's design will be expandable to accommodate up to 30,000 spectators and will eventually include lighted practice fields. It will be located on the western edge of the main campus, at the corner of Hutchison Drive and La Rue Road. When it opens, it will be the latest state-of-the art athletics facility to open on campus, joining the two-year-old Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), the nearly year-old Marya Welch Tennis Center, the 27-month-old Ted and Rand Schaal Aquatics Center -- the largest swimming facility in the UC system -- and the James M. and Ann Dobbins Baseball Complex.