On Friday night the community gathered at Effingham High School’s new sports complex and officially welcomed the new turf field of Klosterman Field at Washington Savings Bank Stadium. As several coaches, students, sports backers and donors spoke to the crowd it was Effingham High School Head Soccer Coach Logan Arney who said it best.
“Something that has been amazing to see is how this field is being viewed as a place of unity”. “Growing up here (Arney as graduate of Effingham) it was soccer stays on the soccer field and football stays on the football field, that was just how it was just, an unwritten rule”. “But being a part of this new field it has been very clear, this isn’t just the football field. This is the field that football plays on, soccer plays on, the band preforms on”. Arney closed with, “The best is yet to come for EHS soccer and this field is really going to help with that.”
A few students had the opportunity to speak as well. Seniors Connor Thompson representing football, Evan Zhoe representing the Red Regiment Hearts Band, and Sam Spicer representing soccer, the sentiment was all the same. Thankful to the donors to everyone involved for the opportunity to use the new field.
Another major speaker at the field dedication was sports backer Chris Koester, who was a key sports backer that spearheaded the fundraising efforts of the project. Which all got started at an October meeting at a local restaurant with Koester, then Unit 40 superintendent Max Doan, and 8 or 9 future donors. “Mark told me in last October, Koester would go say, “What we are looking at is building a turf field and playing on it next fall.” “By the way we might need $750,000 and we would like to have it by Christmas of this year”. Even being an optimist that Koester he wasn’t sure if that was enough time to get those funds raised in such a little timeframe combined with the upcoming holidays . “But 48 days later I had the honor and privilege to go before the board of Education that the sports backers group and others had raised that in just 48 days. And it was all because of the people to my right and people to my left and this great community.”
So with the funds raised and Washington Savings Bank acquiring the naming rights to the stadium. Fast forward 2 and a half months later the field project is now complete and ready for young athletes to preform and play on it.
But the cherry on top of the whole project is the brand new scoreboard. Now standing on the opposite end of the field than the old one standing an impressive 28 feet and 36 feet wide. Unit 40 new superintendent Andy Johnson proclaimed, “I was already told by Nevco (the company that installed the scoreboard) that we are light years ahead of some other school districts that have this technology.”
The Hearts open up the new complex and kickoff the season this upcoming Friday night against Decatur St. Teresa. Can’t make it to the game to see the new field? No problem, tune in to 100.5 and 105.5 Jack FM, streaming online or on the Effingham Radio App.
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