High school football is about to kick off for another season and Eastview and Barrie Central got together for an exhibition game today ahead of the start of the real season next week.
And some of the changes have been made for that upcoming season. High school football players are hitting the field getting ready for the season ahead, but for senior teams the field is going to look a little different.
The popular Thursday Night Lights games are no longer going to be hosted on school grounds. Instead the games will all be played at the Barrie Sports Complex in Midhurst. Before, portable lights had to be brought in for the night games, now that won't have to happen.
“It's certainly much easier to have established lights,” says Simcoe County District School Board athletic director Kelly Breedon-Elliott. “We don't have to fence, we don't have to bring the lights in. We don't have to bring the bleachers in. The infrastructure is already here so it’s much easier for the schools and the teams that are organizing.”
Eastview Secondary School coach Martin Carl says the move will also make for a better game.
“It's a better field, it's in better shape because it’s not being practiced on everyday like a high school field,” he says. “So we're having a total of four senior games so there'll be time for the field to rest and recuperate.”
Meanwhile, not all schools will be fielding teams this season. St. Joseph's Catholic High School, which re-launched its junior program last year for the first time in years, won't have a team this time around. The school board would only say ‘low’ numbers are to blame.
Nevertheless, for players at Eastview, Thursday Night Lights is just around the corner and they say moving the event will be good, but will bring other challenges.
“They'll definitely be much nicer then not having to worry about running down field then hitting a pothole and rolling your ankle in front of a couple thousand people and there's less wind at the complex as well,” says Alex Massie.
Erik Degeer adds, “I think it will be a lot better atmosphere but at the same time it's going to be a lot harder for the kids that don't have a ride to the TNL that would normally walk.”
Games start being played next Wednesday. There will be a $5 entry fee and any revenue will be split between the two teams.
