The final phase of Northwestern Lehigh’s stadium renovation project was completed recently when the finishing touches were put on a new synthetic track surrounding the football field. Previously, the natural grass playing field was converted to turf to allow for a better, more consistent field for football, field hockey, lacrosse and soccer. The previous field was known for being easily degraded by rain, which will not be a concern with the new turf.

The track was recently completed, meaning that all of the renovation goals have been finished. It was hoped that the field house would be able to be renovated or rebuilt, but that was crossed off the list due to economic concerns. The project is still a part of the master plan and could be revisited at some point down the road.

“This was all part of the original stadium project,” Northwestern Lehigh Athletic Director Jason Zimmerman said of the upgrade to the track. “The project got delayed last summer and rather than shut the stadium down for several weeks in September and October to complete the track, we felt it would have the least amount of impact on the least amount of teams and players if we delayed it until this spring.”

The upgrades include areas for pole vaulting, jumping and other track and field events. The previous track was gravel, which slowed runners and had other shortcomings for track and field events, which the new track will erase.

“Obviously, the advantage of a synthetic track is you can compete in all types of weather,” Zimmerman said. “A spring rain shower will no longer force us to postpone. It is proven that better times and marks are achieved on all-weather surfaces and it is safer for our student-athletes. Falling on cinders makes for a bad day.

“Additionally, our labor hours maintaining the track will be significantly reduced. Our staff won’t need to paint and spend the time grooming on a weekly basis.”

Prior to the upgrades, weather presented problems on both the field and the track. Football games were often played in mud during rain and the surface would become very unstable, which could lead to an increase in injuries. That would also leave the field with bare spots and an uneven field while also leading to the cancellation of some events. The artificial turf provided a more consistent surface and the upgrade from a gravel track to a synthetic track will do much the same.

The fact that the track and field season was wiped out by the coronavirus this spring solved one problem for Zimmerman and the track and field teams. Northwestern Lehigh would have had to hold all of their home track meets at other facilities while the project was being undertaken.

“We would have had to compete and practice on the road this past spring,” said out Zimmerman. “Fortunately, we have some awesome neighbors in Northern Lehigh, Parkland and Whitehall who were going to help us out. In the end, COVID-19 took care of any issues with not having a home facility to practice and compete on.”

In addition to improving the safety for student-athletes and lessening the cost of maintaining the former facility, Tiger Stadium can now host District 11 and PIAA events in various sports. Both district and state events require high standards to be in consideration for hosting sports playoff games, which Northwestern previously didn’t meet. With the upgrades, the district will be able to host more games, which comes with added income.