The year’s first home football game played at Joliet Central was on August 27, 2011. The new field was completed on August 22. Our athletic director, Mr. Locke, took us out to the field and told us a little more about our new piece of Steelmen history. Even the band director, Mr. Fiske, had nothing but praise for Joliet Central’s new field, “When the school makes an investment in the kids, it’s an unspoken way to say we care about them.”
The new field includes turf, replacing traditional grass. This was saves space; the teams can practice and play on the same field. Additionally, it will be cheaper to maintain the field since there will be no natural grass to cut. However, the field will not be exclusive to just the football team. The new field will be open to all athletic teams, gym classes, and the band. Mr. Locke believes
this is absolutely a great investment, because it is so useful. “The field can benefit not only the school, but the community. It will be less travel for parents, and feeder teams can use the field to practice.”
New developments are still being made. The finished project, expected to be done in April 2012, will include a concession stand, more green space north and south of the field, another parking lot including 100 – 150 parking spaces, tennis courts to the west of the field, a surfaced track, and restrooms. The transportation lot will be resurfaced and turned into another parking lot, and the transportation office will become anotherbuilding for Joliet Central’s AVAC program. Parking will be accessible from Casseday Street and Parks Avenue. Cosmetic additions will be Evergreens reaching 12 – 15 feet high at the southern end of the field. “I like the suburban feel in an urban area,” Mr. Locke explains, “so the Metra trains will still be visible from the field.”
This is going to be an interesting year for the Steelmen football teams. Mr. Locke was quoted saying, “The season’s going to be tough. Our team is still very young, and we only have about 100 kids added together from the freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity teams. My advice for the team is to have fun, and hopefully wins will follow.” We’re looking forward to a successful year,
Steelmen!