SHI Stadium - Rutgers Scarlet Knights
- Justin Cayea
- Nov 7
- 5 min read
Photos by Justin Cayea, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.57
SHI Stadium 1 Scarlet Knight Way Piscataway, NJ 08854
Year Opened: 1994
Capacity: 52,454
The Birthplace of College Football
SHI Stadium is home to the Rutgers Scarlets Knights in Piscataway, New Jersey. Piscataway, New Jersey is considered the birthplace of college football, as the first intercollegiate football game was played here on November 6,1869. Rutgers College beat Princeton 6-4 on that day. SHI stadium is located on Rutgers’ Busch campus. The stadium sits on the banks of the Raritan River in Piscataway, New Jersey.
SHI stadium has been the home of Rutgers football since 1994 with a seating capacity of over 52,000, while also serving both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. The facility has had multiple stadium names over the years. Originally named Rutgers Stadium, the corporate names started in 2011 with High Point Solutions Stadium, followed by HighPoint.com Stadium and finally SHI Stadium.
The stadium offers fans a wonderful atmosphere filled with the roar of the Scarlet faithful. Whether under the bright lights of a primetime matchup in the BIg Ten Conference on a beautiful fall day, the stadium offers a great college football experience and shows the true spirit of Rutgers University.
Food & Beverage 4
SHI stadium delivers a flavorful amount of options for food and beverage around the concourse of the field. There are plenty of options for fans to choose from self-served stands, as well as concession stands. The standout option is the barbecue stand that offers brisket, pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches. For those who are not in the mood for barbecue food there are also plenty of concession stands scattered around the stadium serving chicken tenders, tacos and nachos. There is also a Jersey Mike’s sandwich stand that sits just inside of gate C, at Section 118. The prices for concessions are fair and compare to most around the country with food around 12-13 dollars and soda being 8 dollars. For the fans that enjoy having a cold beer while you watch a game, there are plenty of beet gardens scattered around the concourse and will cost you between 15 to 16 dollars depending on the type of beer.
Atmosphere 4
The atmosphere at SHI Stadium captures the pride of Rutgers University and Scarlet Knight football perfectly. The Gameday experience starts way before you enter the stadium on Rutgers Boardwalk with a great tailgating experience. The boardwalk starts its gameday fun four hours before kickoff with many different pregame activities for those of all ages. The boardwalk is also lined with local food trucks for those who are looking to grab a bite or beverage before entering the stadium. The Rutgers Scarlet Knight marching band and cheer squad march their way down the Boardwalk signaling that kickoff is near. Once in the stadium the band, cheer squad and student section keep the energy high showing a loyal fan base to the Rutgers Football Team, with the famous “R!U!” Chant echoing throughout the stadium.
Fans 3
The Rutgers Football program has seen their share of struggles in recent years, but that has not stopped the loyalty of fans of the Scarlet Knights. In the 2024 season SHI stadium saw an average attendance of 48,341 fans, and in the 2025 season the team has seen two sellout crowds and a largest crpwd of 52,142. What makes Rutgers fans special is their resilience and pride no matter what the outcome is on the field. The fans will proudly wear their scarlet and black to cheer on their hometown team. The roar of the crowd will echo through the stadium with their “Let’s Go Knights” chants on third down leaving you to join in with the Rutgers faithful on your visit to SHI stadium.
Neighborhood 3
The neighborhood surrounding SHI stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey offers a great blend of college town and suburban comfort. The area around Piscataway and New Brunswick combine the charm of a campus and urban neighborhood with plenty of food options and hotels. Some of the more convenient lodging options for those who will need a hotel on gameday near the stadium are Hyatt Regency and the Heldrich Hotel & Conference Center.
Some of the top restaurants in the area are RU Hungry, which is the home of the original fat Sandwich. RU Hungry has been featured on many TV shows, including Man vs. Food. If you are not in the mood for sandwiches there are plenty of other options that are within walking distance of the downtown area that people can take advantage of. If you just want a quick pregame slice, you can find them at Daniel’s Pizzeria or Biggies Slice House. If you are looking for a good pub to have a pregame or postgame meal there is Tavern on George or the Scarlet Pub.
Access 3
Getting to SHI stadium can be confusing for those who are not from the area. The Stadium sits just off of Interstate 95 and the New Jersey Turnpike about 30 miles south of Newark. Rutgers University currently has a total of three separate campuses in the local area with SHI stadium being on the Busch campus. The parking directly around the stadium is for season permits only while everyone else who is looking to attend a game will be directed to Jersey Mike’s Arena, home of the Men's and Women’s Basketball program, for general parking. General parking will cost you 32 dollars and you will be shuttled to the stadium. Once at the stadium the concourse is small but not terribly hard to get around.
Return on Investment 4
The pricing of Rutgers football tickets is similar to the college football landscape, as prices truly depend on who they are playing that weekend. Non-conference tickets will usually cost you around $55 per game, while The Big Ten Conference tickets will be around $100. There is always the secondary market, this could lower prices on the less desirable games. As stated before, the concessions are around average of other stadiums that you will attend so for those who are looking to save a little while going to a game, eating before heading into the stadium may be your best option.
Extras 4
Anytime you are at a Rutgers football game you will always be reminded that you are at the birthplace of college football, even to go as far as it being written on one of the walls behind the field goal post.
The stadium also has a wall in the main concourse commemorating all the Rutgers football players who have won Super Bowl championships after their time at Rutgers.
If you miss the other extras, you won’t miss the Revolutionary War-era cannon, fired by a group of reenactors after every Rutgers score, at halftime, and at the end of a home game win.
Final thoughts
Rutgers football being part of a power conference in The Big Ten offers top-tier college football to the Tri-State area. The decent price and great atmosphere makes SHI stadium a wonderful place to catch a game and is often overlooked by many people.
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