Imagine a football field with artificial turf in the heart of South Philadelphia that doesn’t belong to a pro team.
Imagine an athletic complex within walking distance of the stadium district that would have enough lighting to host nighttime football games.
Imagine a high-school sports program that would draw a standing-room-only crowd, just like in the old days.
Right now it’s all just a dream, but the School District of Philadelphia’s plan to build athletic "super sites" is providing real fuel for the fantasies.
Each of the new sites would include football fields, soccer fields and an all-weather track. The complex at 12th and Bigler streets — currently shared among the Southern, Bok and Furness athletic teams — is one of several locations on a preliminary list of potential super sites. The idea is part of school district CEO Paul Vallas’ five-year, $1.5-billion capital improvement plan that will include irrigating athletic fields and expanding the variety of sports offered.
The fields at Northeast High and in Germantown also are under consideration to become super sites. Marjorie Wuestner, the school district’s executive director of health, safety, physical education and sports administration, stressed it’s too early to predict where the fancy fields will fall.
"There is nothing set in stone," Wuestner said. "We are looking at all different ways to make use of the capital improvement plan. We can’t afford to make mistakes."
Particularly not with the higher profile that Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District XII — formerly known as the Philadelphia Public League — soon will have. The league currently is competing under PIAA rules and regulations, which governs statewide high-school competition. The membership fully takes effect next fall, when city teams will be eligible to compete for state titles.
"A lot of this is to prepare us for our long-term investment in the PIAA," confirmed school district media relations manager Vincent Thompson.
The district is taking several factors into consideration when picking the new athletic sites, including the level of usage by high-school teams and community groups as well as how added lighting would affect the surrounding neighborhoods.
Southern football and Audenried athletic director Bill Edger said he is excited about the possibility of South Philadelphia getting a super site.
"I think it might add a jolt around here," Edger said prior to Monday’s practice.
Wuestner and other school district officials have traveled around the state to study other super sites, including one in Pittsburgh that serves as home field for all that district’s football games. Philadelphia is much bigger, and one field wouldn’t be enough to accommodate all the teams. Once the locations are selected, the plan is to replace the existing grass with NeXturf — the same grass-like surface the Phillies and Eagles used at Veterans Stadium.
"We really want the best materials for our programs," Wuestner said. "Safety is an issue with artificial turf. The research is very promising."
Once the sites are selected and built, the school district must decide what teams will play at what field, and where the local football and soccer teams will practice when other teams are using their field. One scenario includes turning the old basketball courts located behind the football stands into a practice field.
Bok football and baseball coach Tom DeFelice said it sounds like a good idea, but he also expressed some concern.
"There seems to be a lot of confusion where it’s going to be and when it’s going to be done," he said. "We’ve heard certain things, but no one has talked to us."
By adding super sites around the city, Philadelphia could eventually host regional postseason matches. The school district also is looking into the possibility of irrigating and adding new sod and grass to 11 fields around the city. This project would help prevent the fields from turning into dust bowls during a drought and muddy swamps after rain.
Sometime in the next five years, athletes will be treated to new and improved athletic facilities around the city. Then, South Philly residents just might get to see a football double-header featuring Southern and Bok and a soccer match between Furness and Bok all on the same night.
"Hopefully all this new construction and reconstruction will excite the kids," Wuestner said. "We are trying to bring back the feeling of school pride."
