For its thirteen years as a program, the Boone Grove High School football team has been homeless.
Over the span of its existence, the team has played every game at an away venue, even when the game was designated a ‘home game’. A majority of those games were played at Valparaiso High School, 20 minutes away from Boone Grove High School.
Hosting at a venue that is not on the school’s property requires a lot of additional labor. Every week the football team had to pack up all the equipment that they would need and take a bus to Valparaiso. Similarly, the cheer and dance teams were faced with the same problem.
Along with arranging transportation for all three teams, the athletic department was tasked with hauling a concession trailer to the venue. They then had to find people to work the concessions, gate, and scoreboard who would also be willing to work a game at least 20 minutes away from their homes on a Friday night.
While all of this is crucial for game days, the actual process of getting approval to rent a home venue away from home begins months before the season begins. First Boone Grove would have to acquire full insurance, then negotiate with the other school’s athletic department to come to an agreement in regards to renting the field and facilities. After that, the other school’s school board had to approve the agreement.
While not having a field at the school was an inconvenience for everyone, more importantly, the students did not have a place they could call home. There was no ‘home field advantage’. The seniors did not get to have a ‘senior night’ at home. There was no defending home. Now the students have something to be proud of.
The football field is only a part of a much bigger project updating the school’s sporting facilities. In addition to the field, a track was laid around the field. There is also a field house adjacent to the field which includes locker rooms, coaches offices, a weight room, and an area dedicated to wrestling.
Like the football team, the track teams did not have a track on the high school’s campus. However, they did have a track of their own at Boone Grove Middle School, about 10 minutes from the high school.
The $10M project started in April of 2021. One of the biggest priorities for Boone Grove was keeping the project tax-neutral for the community. Through bonds, the school got the funds for the facilities. From there, the school went through multiple plans and blueprints before deciding on a final design. In the planning process, athletic director Josh Russell went around to other schools who had taken on or were in the process of similar projects. From there they received input on what other schools had done in order to figure out the best plan for Boone Grove.
Boone Grove broke ground last March.
The first game on the field was held on October 13. Boone Grove faced Bishop Noll Institute and defeated them, 45-0.
Boone Grove will host sectionals for football in the upcoming weeks
Boone Grove Athletic Director Josh Russell talking about different aspects of the new field.
