Sacramento State plans to move forward with building what it calls a new state-of-the-art football stadium amid a push to have the university's football team join the PAC-12 conference.The new Hornet Stadium would seat up to 25,000 people and is seen by Sac State Athletics as a "huge step forward" for the football program being elevated to the Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division 1-A.Architectural firm Populous will design the stadium, University President Dr. J. Luke Wood said during a Thursday news conference. Populous is the same firm behind many venues, including Yankee Stadium. The college plans to release renderings in the coming weeks.Outside of football games, Luke Wood said the stadium could also serve as the site for future commencement ceremonies and other large-scale events such as NCAA championships and concerts.The stadium will also be home to the university's rugby and soccer teams.See the full press conference in the video below "This will be a place where the community can come together and celebrate together," Luke Wood said. "This will be a stadium where teams can compete on a national stage and show the country the best of Sacramento State and the best of our city and our region."Luke Wood said the stadium will be in the same location as the current football venue, which the school hopes to raze and tear down at the end of the current season. Student Michael Lee-Chang with Students for Quality Education said there was no transparency in the decision to use the fees for a new stadium. Lee-Chang said students are already struggling and feel misled. He said Luke Wood didn't listen to their frustrations when making decisions about fee increases. "What, if the fees aren't enough?" Lee-Chang said. "What if donor money just runs out, then they're going to have to come back to students and ask for more money."Besides football, the stadium would be home to men's and women's soccer and rugby.The rugby teams currently use the intramural field and set up their own equipment."It feels like our sport is finally getting recognized on a bigger level because rugby is not that talked about and people know about it clearly," said player, Mickey Nelson. "I'm glad we have some commitment from our president and our school to actually have a stadium for us."A release announcing the stadium stated that the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto Designated Media Market (DMA) is the only one among the top 25 DMAs in the country to not have two or more professional sports organizations.Spearheading the efforts to join PAC-12 is SAC 12, a committee comprising several Sacramento-area leaders. The co-chairs are Josh Wood and California State Sen. Angelique Ashby.“Sacramento State is ready to take the national stage with the elevation of our university to the PAC-12," Ashby said in the release. "Today’s stadium announcement is a giant leap for the Hornet Nation, our region and the State of California. We have the media market, the talent, and a strong Alumni community to not only support this move but to help the Hornets continue to be a powerhouse across multiple sports, building on last year’s 7 championship titles!” Josh Wood is hoping to use the momentum to call on business leaders to join the push to elevate Sac State.Among the members of SAC 12 is three-time All-American and Sac State Football Hall of Famer Cyrus Mulitalo. He said the college has always "had the grit and talent on the field" and said the new football stadium will match that energy. Eric Guerra, a current Sacramento City Council member and former Sacramento State student body president who is also on the committee, said the elevation would be a "win-win for the university, the conference, and the community."The Hornets are currently members of the Big Sky Conference, and they won seven conference championships.Luke Wood said funding has been secured and should not affect Sac State's institutional budget. Multiple budget sources for the stadium include dollars earmarked strictly for athletic use, donor funds, sponsorships and planned co-tenants. Students' intercollegiate athletics fees will also increase from $181 to $256 to help foot the bill.At this time, the university does not yet plan to release how much the stadium will cost.When asked if the name of the stadium will change, Luke Wood paused amid some laughter and said, "That's a good question."Do you have photos or video of an incident? If so, upload them to KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and additional details so we can give you proper credit online and on TV.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter