NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Homefield advantage is coming to all MNPS high schools.
Mayor John Cooper announced Wednesday every MNPS high school will receive a new sports field through a partnership with the Tennessee Titans and Nashville-based nonprofit group The Fans Inc.
The price tag will be around $15 million, according to the Mayor's Office.
John Overton High School is one of 15 MNPS high schools that could benefit. Situated along the interstate, the first glimpse of the campus isn't the building, it's the football field. But the head coach says that for being the school's first impression, it could certainly use a facelift.
"It wasn’t because we wasn’t taking care of it, we just had a lot beat up on it," said Coach Arcentae Broome.
The partnership would pour $5 million from the Tennessee Titans in grants over the next five years, another $5 million from Metro Nashville's Capital Spending Plan, and a final $5 million raised from private donations. Altogether, $15 million will be given to all 15 MNPS high schools. That means each school gets a million to work with to upgrade its athletic facilities.
"Each of these high schools is the center of their community. The more we can invest in our kids — in their whole day, not just in the classroom," said Nashville Mayor John Cooper. "It’s never a bad thing to be investing money where there’s too much use."
Coach Broome already knows where to start. He said the field's natural grass surface during the regular season was often sandy, muddy and unsafe for players to run on. That's why Overton and other high schools are investing in artificial turf.
John Overton's quarterback, Ryder Hagan, approves of the change even if he'll never play on it. The upgrades are slated to be in place by 2026.
"You look good; you feel good; you play good," said Hagan. "I just like the feeling of playing on one; it’s just a lot better than playing on grass."
"You look at other schools, you look at other counties, and they have other turf. And you think, 'man, if we can get that, we can start putting ourselves out there to be appealing to other counties.' Instead of going to other places, they can come right back to Metro," said Coach Broome.
If this field is going to be their first impression, Broome wants it to be a cut above.
"To have a lump sum come in like that and you be able to pick and choose what you want to spend it on, that’s big," he said.
For schools like Hume-Fogg Academic High School that don't have a football program, they plan to spend their million on upgrading their soccer facilities. A spokesperson for MNPS said in addition to turf, the money will go towards site work, drainage, base rock and irrigation.
Mayor Cooper told us the funding from the Tennessee Titans isn't contingent on a new dome stadium deal passed by Metro Council, but it is dependent on the team remaining in Nashville over the next five years.
