LIVERPOOL -- It's been years in the making, and tonight Liverpool will host its first home football game on its new turf field.
Tonight, the Liverpool Warriors will take on the Baldwinsville Bees, playing host to the team on a new field surrounded by new track and bleachers.
Liverpool High School's old athletic complex need a lot of renovations, but sprucing up the outdated stadium didn't come without controversy. Voters rejected two previous plans because of concerns with cost. The district stuck with a bare bones plan and finished the project under the $5.4 million budgeted for it. That came at the cost of renovations to the concession stand, parking and bathrooms. Those were all eliminated to save cost.
The stadium closed in December 2007 after turf and drainage problems made the field unfit for play, leaving Liverpool's football, track, lacrosse, soccer and field hockey teams without a home. The teams have been essentially homeless for the last several years, forced to share facilities with other local teams while their stadium sat empty, plagued with field and safety issues. But that's all changing now.
Tonight's festivities will begin with a Stadium Dedication Ceremony followed by the varsity game. At halftime, there will be a special celebration, including performances by the marching band and cheerleaders, introduction of dignitaries and several speeches.
