West Broward High School undergoes process of building an athletic stadium

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SNACK STOP: A concession stand is just one of the several planned improvements to the current school athletic stadium. As the current stadium is missing multiple components, new additions are being planned. Rendering courtesy of Broward Education Foundation

By: Natalie Childers and Sonia Gidwani

Known for its interactive veterinarian program, variety of successful recreational sports and a state championship cheerleading team, West Broward has been historic since its establishment in 2008. However, the school’s consistent lack of an athletic stadium has made it memorable in more ways than one for both students and administration. After years of lackluster and restricted pep rallies in the gym and having football home games take place on foreign fields, the school has finally taken initiative to begin the process of building its own athletic stadium. However, this project has not come without its several challenges and setbacks.

**OUT WITH THE OLD:** West Broward’s inadequate athletic field has prevented numerous events from taking place at a home stadium. Since its opening, the school has had a field without suitable bleachers, a concession stand, lights, and more. *Photo courtesy of Facilitron*

**IN WITH THE NEW:** The plans for the new athletic stadium include several improvements. The West Broward stadium committee plans to raise the rest of the money needed to make these improvements. *Rendering courtesy of Broward Education Foundation*

Students have had to travel for varsity football home games, and band students have had to practice their programs in the empty student parking lot. Beginning in 2019, the school started to collect funds to begin the construction of the stadium and it has progressed since then. Accumulating a supply of donations and sponsorships, the stadium committee has strenuously worked to raise money, but this has come with its own struggles as since then only five thousand dollars have been raised. Fundraising through COVID-19 and with inadequate parent involvement severely impacted the fundraising success and event possibilities. If the stadium is successfully constructed, it would give the student body, faculty and parents the opportunity to have home games, outdoor pep rallies and several other opportunities to show their school spirit.

“Once we get the stadium, we are doing full-fledged home games and we are doing as much as we can here,” said activities director Donna Yard. “It will definitely change our school spirit because we can do things like tailgates and put on little activities before the game. Students who cannot find a ride can just stay here and hang out and then go to the game, so it will definitely increase the number of kids at our games. JROTC can have their huge events here. We can also do things like the pep rallies on the field and any other activities.”

Currently, the process of building the stadium has yet to begin as they are still in the donation process. With the cost of the stadium predicted to be an estimated $3.5 million, approximately only five to seven thousand dollars have been raised through donations and fundraisers. With the lights alone costing $510,000, there is still the matter of bleachers, bathrooms and concession stands. Redoing previous builds, such as the running track, must additionally be done. In an at-done. In an attempt to efficiently utilize resources, the school has collaborated with the Broward Education Foundation to create a website where people can donate. Parents have additionally gotten involved in a committee led by Dr. Dawn Williams, a parent of a West Broward student, to raise money.
“One of the things we are talking about [doing to raise money] is maybe a golf tournament. We are also discussing if we can get some notable names to do a TED-Talk-like thing where we would have some available presenters and see about raising money for selling tickets for that,” Williams said. “We are also looking to go the biggest way, getting sponsorships from some local and potentially even national sponsors.”

“Once we get the stadium, we are doing full-fledged home games and we are doing as much as we can here.”
Donna Yard, Activities Director

Despite strenuous efforts, fundraising has proven to be difficult. While fundraising began in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic halted all efforts and delayed progression in the project. Additionally, wavering parent involvement in the stadium committee has caused difficulties in hosting fundraising events. Installing these new facilities does not come without its challenges, either. Implementing turf would require additional renovations to the field, including drainage systems. To combat these setbacks, the stadium committee has reached out to local and national investors for financial assistance in this project.

“What [Broward Education Foundation] does is they go out on our behalf and look for the big corporate sponsorships like McDonald’s and Costco and those sort of entities that we don’t necessarily have direct contact with,” said Athletic Director Allison Edens. “There’s no guarantee that that company will find us donors, but they help by going out on our behalf for the bigger people.”

While still a work in progress, West Broward’s stadium is a hopeful prospect for the future. Having a stadium would allow for home games for all sports, including football, preventing students and home players from having to travel and allowing more students, faculty and parents to attend games. Hosting sports games at home, holding pep rallies and being able to decorate the stadium could personify school spirit in a significantly greater depth. Outside the campus, Bobcats could host regional events to bring in a larger scope of the community. With the numerous possibilities created along the stadium, this project is a pivotal component of the school’s future.

“We would be able to have all of our games at home. We can have band using the field after athletics is done so they can practice for their stuff,” said Edens. “There have been local community groups that have reached out to us wanting to use our school for things like a 5k or a charity event. We can do that. We can have pep rallies and we can have more kids fit in the stadium. JROTC can have their events here that run into the evening. The sky is the limit.”