During every home game that the Lehman high school football team played this year, the players first had to load hundreds of pounds of equipment on a school bus and ride to their “home” field 1.9 miles away, about a 16-minute ride to Columbus High School’s football field.
The Lehman field, created in the 1970s when the school was built, is 20 yards short, meaning it does not meet standard regulation for a game. Over the years, politicians and educators have promised renovations to fix the problem but these changes have never happened, leaving players, coaches and fans feeling let down.
But that all could change, thanks to a $5.6 million government grant to renovate the field, put up a score board, install night lights, and of course, add the 20 yards needed to play football games at home. But first, one more hurdle needs to be met: The field’s proponents still need to get official approval for the field’s redesign. In the past, partnerships with Nike and other attempts to achieve the goal seemed bright at first, but eventually failed. But this time, it seems officials supporting the project are determined to do it right.
“The pressures on our team is in a big way, because now there is actually a path forward,” acting Deputy Chancellor Kevin Moran said at the press announcement on Dec. 17.
Principals from the campus’ six schools – Bronx River High School, Herbert H. Lehman High School, Renaissance High School for Musical Theater & Technology, Pelham Lab High School, Schuylerville Preparatory High School and Westchester Square Academy – attended the event along with athletes decked out in the campus’ orange and blue colors. Other supporters, including NYS Assembly Rep Michael Benedetto, NYC Council Majority Leader Amanda Farias and NYC Council Member Kristy Marmorato, also attended the celebration.
Jordana Bell, the Schuylerville Prep principal who spearheaded the project, is excited about what’s next. “We know the road ahead requires more collaboration,’’ she said. “We are here to celebrate the efforts of our campus.’’
A new group of architects has completely rethought the project. Instead of trying to extend the length of the current field, they plan to extend it diagonally.
Assuming the plan is approved, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson estimates the project can be completed in under a year.
”We’re fighting to give this school access to play sports in a dignified space,’’ she said. “Through their hard work and dedication, they’ve earned that.’’
Coaches believe the new field will increase demand for the sport, connect players to scouts, and provide Lehman students with a classic high school experience.
“The new field can mean a lot of things,’’ Varsity Football Coach Joe Houghton said. “We can finally play Friday night games here, bring back school spirit and pride in our home field.’’
For some alumni, the timing is too late. Toyin Ajasin, a 1998 grad, remembers how it seemed to former students in the late 1990s. Back then the team traveled about 20 minutes to play home games at the Evander Child’s Campus football field. Students rarely bothered to attend any games because of how much travel they had to do, just to go and support their friends.
“Yeah it’s been like that since I was around. The field was always 20 yards short and the city never bothered to extend it. We never really watched games because of how far the games were,” Ms. Ajasin said.
This isn’t the first time the NYC Department of Education has tried to fix the field. In 2011, the department renovated the field but not in the way football fans wanted. The renovation added lights for night games, bleachers, artificial turf to the field and as the crown jewel, a brand new baseball diamond for Lehman Baseball. However, this $5 million project did not accomplish what many really wanted: an extra 20 yards to play home football games at home.
For this year’s team, especially the seniors, the season is over. For some, the team’s record of 0 wins and 8 losses seems symbolic, especially for seniors who have never played or witnessed a home football game.
“It’s really annoying,’’ Justin Arias, a senior on this year’s team, said. “You want to look into the crowd and see fans cheering you on your own field, and now that my four years are up, we’ll never get that.”
Tom DeCicco, a 1975 graduate, is excited about the possibilities. “It’s about time,’’ he said. “The kids will finally get the advantage of playing on their own field. It’ll make people feel that something finally got accomplished.”
Franklin Sosa Araujo and Teagan Connolly contributed to this story.
