High School Football: $60 million high school stadium set to open in Allen, Texas
Anyone who has ever lived in Texas knows what Texas Longhorns legend,Major Applewhite, meant when he said, “Football’s so important in Texas. On the West Coast, it’s a social. On the East Coast, it’s a culture. Here, it’s a religion.”
Texans are born and raised living and breathing football, and there nothing that compares to high school football in Texas; just ask the people of Allen, Texas, located just 30 minutes outside of Dallas.
The Allen Eagles are nearing the completion of a brand new, $60 million stadium. Yes, $60 million–for a high school stadium. Check it out:
Photo courtesy of MaxPreps.com
The new venue, set to open in time for the high school football season to kick-off this fall, will seat 18,000 fans- 7,000 of which are season ticket holders. The field is made of NaturalGrass Matrix turf, over which a 75-by-45 foot HD video scoreboard towers. The stadium will include a customized weight room and a press box that would stir envy in the hearts of many collegiate programs.
The Eagles’ stadium, which has taken three years to complete, was funded by a $119 million bond package which 63% of residents approved at the polls.
For those thinking that the money should be spent on such a stadium would be better spent on education, not athletics, well, that point is quite hard to argue.
In fact, I agree.
However, in their defense, education has always been a priority of Allen ISD. Allen High School boasts an average SAT score of 1080, which is 95 points higher than the state SAT average.
Again, it’s hard to argue against the belief that this type of money should go first towards improving the Texas educational system, but in all actuality, that’s not the way they do things in Texas, right or not.
There is one thing that will never change: In Texas, football is and always will be king.
