By MAYAN PAZ
Image courtesy FHSU Athletics
Fans attending Lewis Field Stadium to watch Fort Hays State University football in recent weeks may have noticed the large area of construction work in the south end zone. The area, which used to be a running track that was filled with concessions stands during home games, is now the foundation for a nearly $14 million complex being built to service Tiger football, along with other teams at FHSU.
The nearly 20,000 square foot complex will include new lockers for the football team, new offices for the coaching staff, and meeting rooms. Additionally, the complex will serve the rest of the athletic teams on campus as a new training and recovery facility. Currently, athletes receive treatments in the training rooms located in Gross Memorial Coliseum. Those spaces are relatively old and lack some of the new technologies and equipment that will be available at the new facility, such as hydrotherapy pools and a brand-new medicine area. The new facility will also have several new bathroom facilities that will be of service to the general crowd during home football games.
“The execution of this idea was made possible by many generous donations that amounted to a sum of $11.3 million, in addition to a state grant worth $2.3 million,” FHSU Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke said.
Hammeke oversees several other projects around the athletic department, such as the installation of an air conditioning system in the Memorial Coliseum, the resurfacing of the turf at the University’s baseball field, the tearing down of the running track in Lewis Field, and the resurfacing of the turf of the football field and in the Indoor Training Facility right next to Lewis Field, which is scheduled to be completed in the next few years.
The work at Lewis Field is occurring during the middle of the football season. However, it does not interfere with any of the football team’s practice or games.
“Frankly, we don’t even notice it,” said FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown. “The work is happening outside the field, so we can pretty much just ignore it. We are excited to have that facility built for us.”
After the football season is over, the work will continue around the field itself, with the rest of the track being stripped and replaced with turf.
“We are waiting for the team to finish the season, and our work around the field will be over long before the team resumes training in the summer,” Hammeke said.
As the current locker room includes only 85 lockers for about 130 players on the roster, the expansion is vital for the team, and the new offices will be a significant upgrade for the team’s staff. Other teams around the university will also benefit from the new complex, as it will be located next to the Indoor Training Facility and will save athletes the need to travel from there to the Coliseum in order to get treatments. The current training and recovery facilities will remain in place to aid the basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams.
“This is another step in our efforts to advance our athletic programs and provide our athletes the best facilities possible,” Hammeke said.
The new facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of the 2025 fiscal year, and as of right now, it is moving according to the schedule. FHSU will host a groundbreaking ceremony at 9 a.m. on Friday in the Lewis Field south end zone.