University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä stadium at Laidley Field General Manager Joe Varney stands inside the new upper level press box and talks about the improvements to the facility Wednesday Aug. 21, 2024.
University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä stadium at Laidley Field General Manager Joe Varney stands inside the new upper level press box and talks about the improvements to the facility Wednesday Aug. 21, 2024.
Excitement is brewing in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä ahead of football season.
Local fans of the game are gaining enthusiasm for renovations underway at the University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Stadium at Laidley Field.
It was announced in February that the stadium will host the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission high school football championships from 2024-26.
The stadium was erected in 1979, originally being owned by Kanawha County Schools.
The University of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and Capital High School are the two regular tenants of Laidley Field.
Renovations and improvements are continuing, with football season right around the corner.
The work at Laidley Field started following the high school state track and field meet back in May.
Joe Varney, the facility’s general manager, has overseen these improvements and is pleased with the progress made thus far.
Improvements to the facility touched on the press box, bleachers, concession stands and locker rooms.
Varney believes everything will be complete around the time the first game is held there on Thursday, Sept. 5, a middle school fixture.
“I’d say that our goals of completion is at about 90% on what we’re going to do to the stadium,†Varney said. “A lot of it is cosmetic. Some of the structure we’ve redone is put new lockers in. We’ve redone three locker rooms to match what Capital High School has in their locker room that are actually football-width lockers.
“The press box has been completely enclosed with new heating and cooling added to it. There’s still a few things to finish up there. We’re excited at the work that everyone’s done to this point.â€
WVSSAC Executive Director David Price and Assistant Executive Director Wayne Ryan attended a meeting in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä and toured the facility to see the renovations.
“We were very impressed and pleased,†Ryan said. “People that haven’t been to Laidley for a while will feel the same way. There are four remodeled dressing rooms, two remodeled concession stands and a press box that’s been completely gutted and redone. The area and parking lots have been paved with fresh coats of paint.
“Kanawha County Schools has made some major improvements, and it’s paying off for the overall facility.â€
Ryan is also seeing what was laid out in the proposal get executed.
“Change always gives you a little worry,†Ryan said. “However, I think the people of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä will do a great job.â€
The press box originally had an open area on top for coaches and broadcasters to sit.
Now, the top has been enclosed, with separate rooms added.
“Our press box is a pretty good size,†Varney said. “It’s about 1,000 square feet on the first level. It’s got a lot of room to move around in. We wanted to provide a nice space with heating and cooling for the media staff that’s up [on the second floor], as well as our workers that run the video boards and game clocks.â€
Varney believes that the improvements made on the second floor of the press box will make things better for coaches.
“It was open to the air and the birds,†Varney said. “We were constantly going up there with a pressure washer and cleaning it out before these games. These coaches are going up there and using that space as a coaches box. They will now have their own separated space that they can speak privately amongst themselves. In the middle room, we’ve added a place for cameras and media to cover games.
“Also, to make it even better, we’ve added a restroom on that top floor, that way coaches don’t have to traverse down a spiral staircase to get to the first floor.â€
The bleachers were another area needing improvement.
Varney and his team immediately got to work in repairing those.
“We noticed that some of the clips that support the bleachers up off the concrete were bent or broke,†Varney said. “We went through and started to remove a lot of the bleachers. The bleachers themselves are not broken. It’s just the clip they call a Z-bracket that supports it up off the concrete. We’ve had to find a manufacturer to fabricate those pieces.
“The bleachers have been pressure-washed. So, over the next few weeks, we’re going to start putting those bleachers back in those spaces.â€
Renovations were done to four locker rooms, with new lockers, lighting, ventilation and showers all improved.
Varney has seen the excitement from players with their new locker room.
“You can see the enthusiasm,†Varney said. “You can see the smiles on their faces, and what a great feeling that is to see the youth in this area see these improvements that are being made.â€
Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., steered $2 million for future renovations and projects at Laidley Field. The facility’s general manager sees that as a big boost to continue making Laidley Field as appealing as possible.
“Improvement-wise, heading into next year, is huge,†Varney said. “We still have some other projects. We wanted to tackle improving the facility. Senator Manchin has an application process that you can apply for earmarks for the upcoming year. This money will help with improvements for the facility that’s going to snowball into some other things.â€
Varney has been around high school championship events for more than two decades. He’s excited to see this event back in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä for the first time in over three decades.
“It’s huge economically for the area,†Varney said. “It’s going to be big for the city of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, and a lot of people share that enthusiasm with me. We’ve fielded a bunch of phone calls and people driving to the stadium to tell us how excited they are. People are asking in what capacity they can help, whether it be financially or personally.â€
Varney said anyone who wants to be involved with events at the facility can reach out at the stadium or the people at the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The football state championships will be held in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä on Dec. 6 and 7.
