Tank stadium

[tigergrad95]

Just drove by and saw sod coming up and people working on the field. Turf or new sod???

[fightingtigers45]

Just drove by and saw sod coming up and people working on the field. Turf or new sod???

I believe new sod.

[moonshine]

To bad if it is sod! Looks like the tigers are still living in the past!

[BubbleGumTiger]

To bad if it is sod! Looks like the tigers are still living in the past!

Not really living in the past......some of us Tigers just like grass..........

now before everyone gets their panties in a wad about something they know nothing about...........rumor has it they are leveling the field and correcting the drainage problems..........the present sod that was removed is long overdue to be replaced and this will make the field much better with sod replaced by professionals........and in the future when dollars become available to put turf down this expense will already have been covered..........

rumor also has it there they are planting 3 different types of grass to see which one works best........

[Tigercannon71]

I love grass fields and in an old stadium like the Tank I think it works better. If you get somebody that knows what they are doing with field maintance a grass field can stay nice for years.

[moonshine]

To bad if it is sod! Looks like the tigers are still living in the past!

Not really living in the past......some of us Tigers just like grass..........

now before everyone gets their panties in a wad about something they know nothing about...........rumor has it they are leveling the field and correcting the drainage problems..........the present sod that was removed is long overdue to be replaced and this will make the field much better with sod replaced by professionals........and in the future when dollars become available to put turf down this expense will already have been covered..........

rumor also has it there they are planting 3 different types of grass to see which one works best........

All I am refering to all 2nd and 3rd round playoff game are played on turf. This would help ironton bring in extra $$$$$$

[Pol pot]

Everyone's loving this Field Turf, but come talk to me when it's time to replace that stuff and your are trying to scrape together another 400K to 750K, 10-12 years down the road.

[maniac66]

Turf is nice but it's expensive to but to get the best turf High schools can't afford it.
Like to see a 2nd and 3rd playoff games played at the Tank but it would be hard to even get them with turf because of it's location.

[Tigercannon71]

To bad if it is sod! Looks like the tigers are still living in the past!

Not really living in the past......some of us Tigers just like grass..........

now before everyone gets their panties in a wad about something they know nothing about...........rumor has it they are leveling the field and correcting the drainage problems..........the present sod that was removed is long overdue to be replaced and this will make the field much better with sod replaced by professionals........and in the future when dollars become available to put turf down this expense will already have been covered..........

rumor also has it there they are planting 3 different types of grass to see which one works best........

All I am refering to all 2nd and 3rd round playoff game are played on turf. This would help ironton bring in extra $$$$$$

Say we have turf how many 2nd or 3rd round games do you think we would get? Not a lot. Theres not enough teams in our area close enough to get a playoff game here. I can think of 1 game in the past 20 years that was here and that was West vs. Portsmouth. We are geographically in a bad spot to host games.

[osu 77]

I don't agree to get a playoff game in Ironton would be easy. Think about all the games that are played around the area in the 2nd and 3rd round. If they would send the Ironton football team 100 miles plus why not some other teams. The thing Ironton needs to do is get enough people to help with the game even if they are in the playoffs.
Ironton has some of the best parking in the state of Ohio. Trust me I have been to more playoff games than most. Restaurants and motels in the area are good on both sides of the river. There are a lot of football fans that would love to play at a stadium that is covered in bad weather.
Ironton Tanks Stadium has a lot of tradition. The “Friends of Ironton” have the right idea to keep the town moving ahead, thinking outside the box.

Why not have a playoff game at Dear Old Ironton High!!!

[philthyphil]

Field rehab begins at IHS

Work began Monday to rehabilitate the Bob Lutz Field at Tanks Memorial Stadium, following approval by the Ironton Board of Education.

The football field at Ironton High School is a grass field, and over time, it has developed some problems that needed repair, school officials say.

“It has lots of holes and undulations — ups and downs and dips,” said Ironton City Schools Superintendent Dean Nance. “As you can imagine, it makes for a very unsafe surface to run on.”

Nance said the uneven surface could lead to injuries. While it is unclear on whether any sprains already incurred are a direct result of the field’s condition, “common sense would tell you you’re less likely to turn your ankle on a smooth field,” Nance said.

Sports Turf Group, LLC will be taking off the old grass, shaping the field and sowing new Blue, Rye and Tall Fescue grass seed. The process is expected to take a couple of weeks.

The field rehabilitation will be a temporary plan, while funds are being raised to put down synthetic turf.

A group of citizens, calling themselves the Turf Group, met with the board last year to discuss the benefits of a turf field. The expense of the turf, expected to cost between $600,000 and $700,000, was something the board of education couldn’t afford at the time, Nance said.

“We told them if they could raise the money, we would allow them to put it down,” Nance said. He added that, to date, the project has raised $100,000, with around $200,000 pledged to be paid over the next five years.

With the goal still out of reach, the board of education voted to go with field rehabilitation for a more manageable cost of around $25,000. “For safety reasons, something had to be done,” Nance said.

Nance said he wanted the public to understand that the work being done on the field doesn’t mean the synthetic turf project will be put on hold or discarded.

“We are just trying to do something to carry us over,” Nance said. “We need to make it as safe as possible for the group that’s playing now.”

The Ironton Board of Education has a link on the website for anyone interested in donating to the turf project, and plans to assist and support the Turf Group with fundraising efforts.

“I would like for the people to know what we’re doing, and that we are doing it in the efforts of safety,” Nance said. “It’s not in any shape or form that we don’t want turf. We just don’t have the money right now.”

[Tigercannon71]

We play 100 miles away because our opponents are 2 hours or more away. I can see a Burg-Grove matchup at the Tank. Look at teams close to us. If they make a second round game their opponents are usually hours away. We are just in a bad location for a game. Unless say Gallipolis has a 2nd rounder with a Cincy team or somehow a team from Marietta get a game vs a Cincy area team. Then we are in a perfect spot, but other than that even with turf and 1000 people to help out a 1st round game is all we are ever going to host.

[noreply66]

I would rather play and watch games on grass. I love muddy games. Sometimes while watching football on turf I'm waiting for everyone to break out the tennis rackets.

[IBTT]

With the new 7 division format...more local teams will be involved in the second and third rounds...which means more $$$$....it will be well worth it starting next year...not to mentioned the benefits it gives allowing the grade school games and Jr. High games to be played on a nice field...Coal Grove has it made right now with their nice facilities...and they don't have the tank

[doubleplay643]

Everyone's loving this Field Turf, but come talk to me when it's time to replace that stuff and your are trying to scrape together another 400K to 750K, 10-12 years down the road.

Good point PolPot, I know Jackson will soon be fighting that battle, their turf put down in 2004 was only projected to last 7 years given that not only football but soccer (frosh, JV, Varsity) and band also use it as well on a daily basis. It is developing some issues I have heard and is being projected at a 250k expense.

[osu 77]

[quote="tigercannon71"]We play 100 miles away because our opponents are 2 hours or more away. I can see a Burg-Grove matchup at the Tank. Look at teams close to us. If they make a second round game their opponents are usually hours away. We are just in a bad location for a game. Unless say Gallipolis has a 2nd rounder with a Cincy team or somehow a team from Marietta get a game vs a Cincy area team. Then we are in a perfect spot, but other than that even with turf and 1000 people to help out a 1st round game is all we are ever going to host.[/qu

What is wrong with a first round game? First of all Ironton needs to throw their name into the hat to host a game. But with this type of thinking I feel not only the town but the Ironton program has seen its better days.

[Tigercannon71]

Nothing wrong with a 1st round game that means we are a top seed so we had a good season. Im just saying using the reasoning that we need turf to get playoff games is unrealistic because of the location we are at.

[fuzzhead]

Don't like turf, but I agree with others that I would love to be able to take it a 2nd round playoff game at the tank.

[LucasJackson]

There are so many reasons why Ironton will be chosen very spangly for playoff games, even with turf.

One is certainly opportunity. Look atball second round playoff games the past 10 years. Which would the OHSAA even considered to put in Ironton?
State officials don't want to drive to Ironton and they don't want to pay officials to come here. Easier and cheaper to send them to a central location.
Lucasville has had turf for what 10 years or more? How many state games are held there? Not many.
Jackson and Logan are much easier for the OHSAA and after all that is most important.

[osu 77]

I think you are wrong. First off how many games did Valley put in for to host a playoff games. The list I reviewed they have not requested a playoff game for the last 2 years. The community and the school must support and request the game. Next year there will be 7 different division many more playoff games. I think if Ironton does not quit living in the past this will never happen.