Best Home Furnishings Stadium coming soon to Ferdinand

Forest Park Athletic Director Tony Hasenour details the on-going construction and additions, a list that includes new field turf, home and away bleachers, and a video board.

"On the home side, we're getting brand new bleachers with a brand new press box, some concrete work, additional sidewalk, additional fencing," Hasenour said. "On the visitors' side, we're going to have a sidewalk extending over to the visitors' side with brand new bleacher seating over there. We're getting a new video scoreboard along with new turf for the playing surface."

The CoolPlay synthetic turf, designed to keep temperatures down on the playing surface, keeps Forest Park in line with what many schools in the region are switching to according to Head Coach Terry Riggs.

"Everybody in southwest Indiana is going towards that synthetic playing surface, so it sort of gives us an advantage as well," Riggs said. "We're not playing Week 9 at Southridge and not having any time on the field for holders and snappers, so it changes the game a little bit... It gives our athletes a tremendous opportunity to win on Friday nights."

Riggs says that in his fourth year at the helm, gameday is going to feel new.

"It's going to give us a little bit different of a feel coming out on Friday nights, and there's nothing like that," Riggs said. "Walking down behind the bleachers, running out, you've got the student section right there, the community."

But, for Hasenour, the football facility upgrades benefit more than just the football program.

"This is something that football will be able to use, soccer will be able to use, track, baseball, softball will be able to benefit from it, the marching band, P.E. students," Hasenour said. "We're looking at different things to incorporate, maybe having some community events here as well."

"The fact that Mary C. is so gracious and is able to provide this for us, we'll forever be in her debt," Hasenour added.

"The community is excited for this and I know they're all going to pack the house on Friday nights," Riggs said. "Vienna is going to look different when you drive past it at about 7pm to 7:30pm."