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Stadium Club: Allen's new structure nearing completion
BY Kevin Hageland, khageland@starlocalnews.com
Ever since Allen taxpayers approved a bond election proposal in May 2009, the bulk of the attention for those funds has been on the $59.6 million allocated for construction of a new football stadium.
The three-plus-year project is almost complete.
"We've had all this hype surrounding the stadium; some good, some bad and always something about the price tag," said Steve Williams, Allen ISD athletic director. "But the bottom line is we had outgrown the old stadium and this is what the community wanted."
"We are to the point now where there is plenty of anxiety," Williams said. "We need to keep things rolling out here because we want and need this stadium to be finished."
Allen begins the 2012 season Aug. 31 with a home game against defending Class 5A State Champion Southlake Carroll, but there is a bigger time crunch to complete all aspects of the stadium as there is a community open house scheduled for Aug. 23 and a scrimmage against Arlington Martin set for the next day.
The current completion date is Aug. 16. Tim Carroll, the AISD director of public information, said the project will be completed at or below budget.
Community Buzz
Since the bond package was approved, people throughout the city, state and nation have noticed and dissected everything about the stadium, from its cost to its blueprints to pictures of the construction.
Eagles' fans got a closer look when season tickets went on sale.
Originally set up to sell 5,000 season tickets, the district gave in to overwhelming demand and upped that number to 7,500 and then eventually 8,000, all of which were sold with interested parties participating in a lottery system.
"We sold all our season tickets," said Tom Westerberg, Allen football head coach. "And for two weeks straight you had people coming into the athletic office (which is now connected to the stadium) from 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and all they could talk about was that stadium."
The administration feels that talk will intensify once the stadium actually opens.
"We wanted to build a facility that is as good as any in the state," Williams said. "Because if you're talking about having the best football facility in Texas, then you're probably talking about having the best high school football facility in the nation."
Inside the Stadium
Eagle Stadium carries a strong resemblance to SMU's Ford Stadium.
The horseshoe/sunken bowl design was concocted and executed by PBK Architects, the group responsible for the Allen Performing Arts Center, which recently opened and was also part of the May 2009 bond election.
"It's very rewarding to see the project essentially completed after spending so much time on it," said Christian Herr, PBK architect. "We started this three years ago and had all these different ideas and concepts at the beginning, so to see them come to life is amazing."
That word was also used by senior running back Marcus Ward when Allen players got to see the nearly completed project.
"It really is amazing," he said. "It looks pretty spectacular to me."
The biggest difference between the old and new stadiums may be capacity.
Whereas the old Eagle Stadium, which opened in 1976, had 7,000 permanent seats and another 7,000 rented bleacher seats for a total capacity of 14,000, the new Eagle Stadium is the fourth biggest in Texas, holding 18,000 people. More fans doesn't mean less room though as the stadium has plenty of open spaces, including an area for the AISD Athletic Wall of Honor. The inaugural Wall of Honor class consists of Bob Curtis, Zenford Jones, Mark Puckett, Jody Reeves, Chester Story, Vincent Turner, Max. O Vaughan and Chanteau White.
"Growing up, one of the biggest thrills I always had was walking in and seeing the field," Herr said. "We wanted to try and get that feeling throughout the stadium, which is why you will see there are no obstructed views anywhere."
Beneath the Stadium
Though Eagle Stadium is referred to as a football venue, there are multiple Allen sports that will benefit from the new structure.
"The district really thought things out well in terms of this being a multi-sport venue," Herr said.
That can be seen in the bowels of the building.
The Allen golf team, which just saw its girls squad win their third state title in the spring, will benefit from driving ranges of both the physical and virtual style.
"We've seen the sketches and blueprints, so I knew those rooms were going to be down there," Westerberg said, "but to actually see the weight room and the spots for golf and wrestling was really exciting."
The wrestling team, which has combined for seven of the past eight dual and UIL team state titles, will move to a new 5,800-square foot mat and locker room.
"It's definitely an upgrade for us," said Jerry Best, Allen wrestling head coach, who also has an office in the stadium. "Now we probably have the nicest facility in the nation when you are talking about high schools and one you could put up against most colleges."
Though it was originally mentioned by coaches that District 10-5A soccer matches would not be played at Eagle Stadium, that could change.
"We have the field lined for soccer, so we are not opposed to playing here," Williams said. "We want this stadium to be open to a variety of events. Football playoffs, soccer tournaments, we are planning on hosting many events here."
That list already includes Texas vs. The World (an all-star football game that will be broadcast live on the NFL Network Jan, 25, 2013), Allen graduation (set for June 7, 2013) and perhaps the Tom Landry Classic, which the district is hoping to lure away from SMU. Eagle Stadium is also negotiating to bring in band competitions and concerts.
Perks for the fans
Those attending the aforementioned events can expect a vastly upgraded experience from the old Eagle Stadium.
Plenty of amenities are included in the new stadium, most notably increases in concession lines (up from six to 42), restrooms (up from 27 to 242) and parking spots (up from 900 to 5,050). According to Carroll, the stadium will have Wi-Fi internet access available for all fans. There is also an area for non-alcoholic tailgating by the visitor's end zone.
There are 12 TVs around the stadium which are not wired for cable, but can broadcast the game as well as one other channel (i.e. weather or big events like The Olympics).
The total number of TVs does not include the two scoreboards, the smaller of which is behind the student section in the home end zone and the larger of which measures 75'x45' with a 38'x23' HD screen in the visitor's end zone.
Focus on the field
That scoreboard is Allen's main concern. Not because of its large HD screen, but because holding an advantage there is the most important aspect of the new stadium.
"We held a team meeting after the Spring Game on the 50-yard line (of the new stadium) and that was a cool moment because it is the first time we lit up the Eagle head," Westerberg said. "But some time has passed since then and now we are focused on the season starting and who we are playing."
Allen begins fall practice Monday and will get some time in the new facility prior to its scrimmage.
"We'll probably practice some out there to get used to the lights," Westerberg said.
The lights will be bright both literally and figuratively when the first game at Eagle Stadium commences Aug. 31, but Allen is more concerned about starting with a victory against the defending state champions than winning over any detractors.
"It's a new chapter for us with the new stadium," Westerberg said. "But it's still the same Allen football."
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