The Eagles will play their next home game at the new stadium on September 13. Phase I of the recent bond allowed for improvements and expansion at the stadium, and most of the changes are over 90% complete.
“We’re gonna make this a more student-friendly environment,” Deputy Superintendent Jamie Holder said. “ I think our students are gonna like this a lot more.”
One of the main new features of the stadium is the return of the home side to where it began years ago. The home side and expanded parking will now be off of Hwy 16 next to the ECC campus. The improvements will allow the stadium to hold 8500-8700 people, with approximately 4800 seats (reserved and general admission) available on the new home side. Reserved seating is also larger than in the past with over 1400 blue chair-back seats.
“There wasn’t enough seating [last year],” senior linebacker Kolton Primeux said. “Everything was so jam packed obviously you could still feel the vibe [of the audience] because everyone was right there but with the new stadium we’re gonna have better and bigger seating.”
The arrangement of seating has also changed. The Star Steppers and the student section will now have dedicated seating in the area with the fans, while the band will have all of the stands behind the end zone. The press box is completely new and will allow for more people and improved technology, as well as the inclusion of an elevator.
“This is what I’m excited about–moving the Star Steppers into the stands and having a dedicated student section for the Flock,” Holder said. “This will allow the Flock to stand up, and they won’t be blocking anyone’s view, [and] the Star Steppers will be able to spread out like a traditional drill team.”
To improve both school-time traffic and provide more game night parking, extended parking is being put in place. The old rodeo arena was converted into extended parking and a new entrance was added. One of the biggest changes comes in the concession area. The serving windows will be expanded from three to ten and an open-air plaza is included. This allows for boosters to more effectively fundraise and prevents overcrowding.
“I am so excited about how big the new concession stand area is because the students will have a lot of room,” teacher Kristen Quarles said. “Hopefully, this will make more students come out and support our team and bolster school spirit.”
The new improvements will also attract more large school playoff games to be held at Eagle Stadium. This brings in money for the community when fans from out of town spend their money at area restaurants and when they shop at local stores.
“I can’t wait for Friday’s game and for the community to see all the wonderful things happening at the stadium,” Holder said. “We are very grateful to have such supportive people in Lindale, and we want the stadium to be a positive representation of the school district and our town.”
