I toured Stephenville ISD’s new ‘Champions Stadium’ and this is what I learned about the impressive $40 million project.

This structure, located behind home side seating, will house coaches’ boxes, the press box, film deck, concourse and restrooms.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

I got a little dusty this morning when I met Stephenville ISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Cederstrom for a personalized tour of the district’s new football stadium.

My boys are both grown now and no longer play football for the Yellow Jackets, but that doesn’t mean getting an up-close look at the new stadium wasn’t exciting, because it was.

The $40 million project (and yes, it’s still on budget) is set to be complete by Friday, May 23, 2025 – just in time for graduation.

“I am excited about providing a home for more activities at SISD,” Cederstrom told Beneath the Surface News. “Soccer, football, the band and Stingerettes will all have a home stadium now. 

“The willingness of the SISD community to financially commit to having our own stadium cannot be appreciated enough. As we look to enter the next phase of our district and programs to meet the needs of kids, this stadium will be a showcase.”

Champions Stadium is certainly impressive with home seating for 5,500 and room on the visitor side for 2,000. There’s additional seating in the endzone for the Yellow Jacket Band.

And with 1,686 parking spots, finding a place to park the Suburban won’t be a problem either.

Here are a few more fun facts I learned from this morning’s tour with project superintendent Robert Taliaferro and Tyler Sperry (a Tarleton grad) with Crossland Construction Co.

· There will be no natural grass inside the stadium; it’s all turf, reducing the need for costly maintenance.

· The stadium will have the largest high school scoreboard within 100 miles.

· A glass encased Hall of Fame exhibit will greet stadium-goers as they walk through the impressive entrance.

· On average, there are about 85 crews working at the stadium each day. On Tuesday, there were 83.

· The days of waiting in long lines for the bathroom are over. The women’s visitor’s side has 22 potties and the home side has a whole lot more.

· Construction, so far, is running right on schedule, but if there is an unforeseen weather delay in April, Crossland Construction will bring in extra crews to work round-the-clock to ensure the stadium is ready to host the Class of 2025’s graduation ceremony.

· The stadium will also offer 1,500 reserved seatbacks. (More information on that coming after this season finishes.)

· The list of events that will be held at the stadium is endless. Soccer games will be played on the field along with competitions, field days, Special Olympics, career/tech classes and movie nights.

Keep scrolling for more photos.

Concessions and visitor's restrooms.

Home side locker rooms.

Robert Taliaferro stands where the Hall of Fame will be located.

I climbed the stairs to the top of the stadium, which is 56-feet high. From here you can see the concessions building (straight ahead) and locker rooms (left).

And finally, the rendering of the completed stadium.