Washburn H.S. Finally Gets Its New Turf Field
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minneapolis Washburn High School is getting ready for the fall sports season in a big way -- they're rolling out a new athletic field.
It's been more than a decade in the making, but Washburn is getting their field of dreams.
"It's been 13 years; we've been talking about it and coming up with different plans," Washburn athletic director Dan Pratt said. "Getting the funding has been hard."
The Vikings helped out with a $200,000 grant last fall, as part of funding for the $1 million-plus project that will be used for football, girls and boys soccer, as well as lacrosse.
"There's a lot of buzz in the school building around the turf," Washburn football coach Giovan Jenkins said. "My players, and I know the soccer teams, are very excited about it. It's an opportunity for us to level the playing field, so to speak."
The old field had its share of drainage and divot issues. But that won't be problematic anymore.
"They've had to bring dirt in before games, just to fill in holes," Jenkins said. "There's a bunch of old horror stories."
The process of getting the field ready started back in April, and the new turf field will be completed by early August.
"When planes fly over, we want them to see that Washburn has updated their facilities," Jenkins said.
The boys soccer team will christen the new field -- Macquarie Stadium -- on Monday, Aug. 27, against Trinity. The first home football game is against Minneapolis South on Sept. 7.
