New football stadium draws capacity crowd
CALIFORNIA – The grand opening of the as-yet unnamed California Area School District football stadium Friday drew a near-capacity crowd and went off without a hitch, according to Superintendent Linda Mancini. Although attendance figures weren’t available Monday, Mancini said the 1,500-seat stadium appeared to be full as the opening ceremonies began.
“It really was a joyous occasion. The staff and board and community members who supported this were congratulated for being visionary,” Mancini said.
The district held its first home game at California University of Pennsylvania’s Adamson Stadium, where it played last season, while finishing touches were made to the new high school stadium. Mancini said the scoreboard and lighting couldn’t be used until the morning of the game, but even with limited practice, there were no problems.
“The sound system is great. Everything on the scoreboard worked fine. The cheerleaders and the boosters and the First Down Club had plenty of room to work and made plenty of sales,” Mancini said.
The fundraising groups were consulted during the planning stages, so their storage and work areas were customized to meet their needs. Mancini said the new concession stand area provides space for grilling and other food preparation.
“These people are phenomenal. It’s like a restaurant, with sausage and hamburgers and hot dogs and everything,” Mancini said.
Mancini said the new stadium, which is part of a multi-sport complex being constructed by the district, features artificial turf with the district’s Trojan logo and the required markings for football and soccer permanently sewn into the field.
“It’s something the community can really be proud of,” Mancini said. “Looking around at the kids, you could see it in their eyes, ‘This belongs to us.'”
The district has two more home football games at the field: the homecoming game on Oct. 9 and the final home game on Oct. 23.
“We have other people using it, soccer and youth football,” Mancini said.
Mancini said that the artificial turf allows as many activities as scheduling permits to be played on the field, regardless of the weather.
Mancini said she is still waiting for the first $2 million offer for the stadium naming rights, but she has had inquiries about the personalized paving stones the district is selling for the area near the concession stand.
“I got a lot of good feedback on the pavers. I’ve gotten a few applications back with checks, but a lot of people expressed interest,” Mancini said.