If You're Not Headed to Watch the Hawkeyes Practice Avoid Valley Stadium Sunday

Anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 Iowa Hawkeyes football fans are expected to pack Valley Stadium this afternoon for a practice session, so stay clear of that part of town if you want to avoid the traffic jam.

“We really don’t know how big a crowd is going to show up,” Brad Rose, athletic director at Valley High School, told the Des Moines Register. “We’ll have die-hard fans who are going to be there most of the day, but I think we’ll have a lot of people who just want to come down and get a peek at the Hawkeyes.”

Stadium parking, except for handicapped spaces, has been reserved for the university, the Register reports. Fans attending the practice session can park at Jordan Creek Elementary, Valley Southwoods Freshman High School, City Hall and at the West Des Moines Public Library, all in walking distance of the stadium.

Spots also will be available after 11:15 a.m. at Valley Church and the West Des Moines Christian Church, the newspaper said.

According to WHO, the University of Iowa Athletics Department announced the spring practice begins at 1:30 p.m. Gates open at noon. Officials say though the tickets say the practice starts at 2:30 p.m. the start time was moved up after they were printed.

“My guys have really worked hard,” Rose told the Register. “We’ve lined up security with the West Des Moines Police Department. We’re going to have officers out directing traffic before and after the event."