Bob Lutz: City League still needs another football stadium

Four of the seven public high schools that compete in City League football never have a home game.

Not really.

East, North, Southeast and West don’t have the facilities nor the parking to accommodate crowds. All are land-locked and there isn’t room, at least not the way the schools currently are laid out.

That was supposed to change when a $370 million bond issue was approved by voters in 2008, one that included two new high schools and accompanying district football stadiums much like the ones that already exist at South, Heights and Northwest. A new Southeast High is being built, scheduled to open at 127th East and Pawnee next fall.

But without a football stadium. Voters aren’t getting exactly what they voted for due to state and federal budget cuts.

So what you imagine isn’t always what you get.

Southeast’s home games, at least for the foreseeable future, won’t really be home games.

In a perfect world, of course, every school would have an immaculate stadium with all the creature comforts. But in the real world, that’s pie-in-the-sky. There’s not enough money, for sure, and there’s not enough space for stadiums everywhere.

But there’s plenty of space now at the new Southeast, where work is continuing on a turf field, a nine-lane track, eight tennis courts, two grass soccer fields, a grass practice football field, a baseball field and a softball field.

“We ran a little short of money for the stadium,” Wichita school district athletic director J Means said. “I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you I was disappointed.”

A fifth stadium was also to be built at a new northeast high school in Bel Aire. But that proposed school instead opened as the new home of Northeast Magnet, which does not have athletic programs.

It’d be easy for everyone to lay down on the floor and start screaming and kicking over this. After all, part of what voters approved were two new football and multi-purpose complexes.

Instead, patience might be the way to go here, according to Means and assistant superintendent Bill Faflick. They both believe the Southeast football stadium will happen.

Means, 58, said he’d bet it’s a reality before he retires in seven years.

“I firmly believe that,” he said. “But it all depends on what we can do with the state budget.”

Faflick said he views a Southeast stadium as a delay, not a cancellation.

“We’d love to have a stadium at every school but we recognize we have some restrictions,” he said. “One more stadium, though, would be beneficial to the district.”

The football facilities at South and Heights have been renovated and are key parts of a public school athletic facilities upgraded tremendously by the money from the bond issue. City League facilities are top notch; all seven high schools should be proud.

But Southeast is late getting to the party while the new school is being constructed. It’s a shame the party won’t include a football stadium.

Means and Faflick would both like to punt Thursday night football games, which have been part of the City League football culture for years. But with only the three public-school fields available, Thursday football is a necessary evil.

As long as football stadiums are an issue, I asked Faflick if anyone had ever considered talking to city officials about Barry Sanders Field, at 13th and Wabash, a field currently used for junior football.

Faflick said it hasn’t come up, but seemed intrigued by the idea.

Like me, though, he wasn’t sure if there’s enough potential space at Barry Sanders Field to accommodate parking and a larger infrastucture. The current field includes just some metal bleachers and grass turf.

But a showcase stadium, one that could be used for the City League and junior football, has some merit, even if it’s not an on-campus site.

Barry Sanders Field, which carries the namesake of one of the greatest athletes to come out of Wichita, could use an upgrade.

In the short term, though, the City League is stuck with three fields. There are also two private schools in the league – Kapaun plays its home games at Cessna Stadium on the Wichita State campus and Bishop Carroll has a fine facilty at its school on West Central.

Means mentioned that his athletic budget has been cut by nearly $140,000 the past two years.

“There are priorities,” he said. “Everybody’s had to take cuts. While I don’t like it, I understand.”

In this economic climate, especially as it pertains to schools, a new football stadium might seem extravagant to some.

I’ve also contended, though, that athletics and everything they represent is helpful to the academic pursuits of administrators, teachers and students.

The kids at Southeast would have more pride in their school having a football field than they will without one.

But don’t give up. Means and Faflick aren’t.

“It’s not ‘if,’ it’s ‘when,’ ” Means said. “I truly believe that.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Bob Lutz: City League still needs another football stadium."