EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) – With the fall prep sports seasons just around the corner, North and Memorial high schools see significant additions two years in the making.
“A couple of years ago, the district passed a referendum, and the community supported enough and said yes to it. One of the things in the referendum was getting a turf field for both North and Memorial,” said North head football coach Matt McGinnis.
Though the fields aren’t expected to be used until October, excitement is already palpable.
“We’re all itching to get on it, you know,” said Memorial head football coach Tom Westcott. “I think we’re all kind of like dogs walking around a bowl of food here. We all want to get after it. We are all excited to be on turf.”
According to McGinnis and Westcott, the upgrades level the playing field with the majority of their competition.
“We’re finally starting to catch up, and this field here, and the field at North are going to change football in this community for sure,” Westcott said.
“We go to all these different schools, and we play these other D1 schools, and their facilities are a little bit different than ours,” McGinnis said. “I think we’re trying to catch up to schools like that, and not just for football, but for other sports too, that’ll use this as well.”
As the coaches confirmed, the fields’ usages go beyond the football programs, with numerous other sports and activities readying to use the turf.
“It’s not just football, it’s soccer. In the springtime, we’re going to be able to get softball and baseball out here a lot sooner. I’m sure track will be able to utilize this as well,” Westcott said. “It’s going to change athletics at Memorial and North for the better, and we’re going to have band out here, too.”
Looking towards the future, North athletic director Mike Pernsteiner posed the all-encompassing potential of the field.
“Ultimately, our goal would be to expand to the point that we can seat enough so that we can play everything here,” Pernsteiner said.
For now, though, fans can still expect to see their gridiron athletes at Carson Park.
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North and Memorial turf fields under construction
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