Just an idea! Give Legion Field to Birmingham’s student athletes

Is it me or does the city of Birmingham continue to lose top athletes to other school districts?  It’s pretty obvious that parents and students feel they have a better opportunity elsewhere?   This opportunity can be summed up in coaching experience, relationships, facilities, tougher talent, community support and ultimately the opportunity to play sports after high school…. meaning scholarships.  I realize this is nothing new but my point is if there is knowledge of  this annual “student-athlete flight” shouldn’t there be some sort of plan in place by now to help remedy this problem and make Birmingham City Schools athletic programs more attractive?

In my opinion high school sports should be all about getting to the next level in life.  This is not just about playing sports in college or on the professional level but learning valuable life lessons that can carry you through just about any situation.   Understanding what it means to be a part of a team and working with others to achieve a goal is pretty much the foundation of any working adults life.  Students that participate in good athletic programs by coaches that teach not only the sport but valuable life skills always seem to come out with some sense of pride and a certain level of achievement.    It has become very shocking to see how athletic budgets are being cut from city schools and a brewing lack of sensitivity towards extra-circular activity.  Now I realize there are some great success stories out there and some really good coaches but the concern here is that the scale seems to be very unbalanced.  Let’s face it.  Coaches at inner city schools face nontraditional challenges.   They are dealing with students that may come from single family homes so the coach and his/her staff must become role models and father figures.  Trained to not only teach but give valuable life advice and compassion to their student athletes.  Secondly they are faced with the ever shrinking budget.  There is not much money for salaries, facilities, uniforms and other accessories needed to provide a decent sports program.  Finally the community and parent support may be a little sluggish and non-existent. Getting local businesses to sponsor teams is a challenge no matter where you live but proves to be even tougher in inner city schools where many of the businesses have relocated to the suburbs.   I know there are some great sports programs within the city of Birmingham and several athletes being sought by some pretty big college programs so it’s obvious that all is not lost.  However, just consider how much better these student athletes would be with state of the art facilities, top notch coaching staffs and the type of community support that garners it’s own reality show.

So with all of that said lets get to this grand idea!

Let’s create some opportunity and give Legion Field to Birmingham’s student athletes. As a graduate of West End High School (R.I.P.) I spent many years participating in the band…. that’s right first chair sax!  It was always exciting to visit Legion field and even more exciting to perform there.  It seemed larger than life and the crowds were always supportive.  Legion Field was 100 percent better than the practice field and I am sure our current athletes, bands and students have a similar feeling.

So consider this as an opportunity for Birmingham City Schools and the city of Birmingham to work together and invest in Birmingham’s student athletes.   Right now the biggest thing going at Legion Field would be UAB Football, the Battle of Bands, the Magic City Classic and the PapaJohns .com Bowl. Out of these events the Magic City Classic is the only one that comes close to filling the stadium to capacity.    Occasional opportunities for sports and concerts may find there way to Legion Field from time to time but the excitement generated from these events are temporary at most.  It’s time for some activity that keeps the community excited all year-round.

Now consider this.  Legion Field, either renovated or totally rebuilt (which ever is the most cost effective) as a multi-use sports complex for Birmingham’s student athletes.  From this point on lets just call it the Legion Field Sports Complex.   I really think former Mayor Langford was on to something with the Fair Park Renovation which could soon become an attraction for swimmers and track and field athletes all over the state.  There is no doubt that this is a huge step towards some permanent economic development for Birmingham’s west side if all goes well.  So with this Legion Field Sports Complex we give Birmingham’s student athletes the same opportunity for success that many over the mountain and rural programs have.  Lets talk about a state-of-the-art facility that features all of the bells and whistles and an opportunity to create an environment that will give all of the student athletes, student body and the community at large a sense of ownership in one great facility that is worth bragging on.

What’s in the new Legion Field Sports Complex?

• The complex would of course be anchored with the football field which would offer the best in seating, lighting, video displays, concession and other amenities.

• Locker rooms for each team - Hey why not? Legion Field is huge and can certainly house space for each team and the staff.  Right now there are only seven schools with Ramsey being the only high school without a football team at the moment. How nice would it be to have locker rooms for each team with team colors, mascots, previous team pictures and other elements to make these students feel at home.

• Next consider a massive joint work-out area with top notch exercise and rehabilitation equipment.  This would be a shared resource for the student athletes and offer opportunities to network while working out.  Student athletes no matter the sport they play will have access to the facility and access to some of the best training and work-out equipment in the state.  In fact pursue some health related grant money and open the work out facility up to all students within the school system. 
  

• Office and Administrative area with space for administrators, school liaisons, sports doctors and facilities management. Throw in class and training rooms that can facilitate seminars and training opportunities that prepare student athletes for life after high school.  This becomes a perfect environment for tutoring and mentoring sessions as well as a permanent location for coaches on all levels to gain resources, training and general experience before taking on the important role as a coach.

• A health and medical wing for out-patient orthopedics, physicals, counseling and check-ups.  This could also be a great opportunity for revenue or sponsorships from some of the areas top doctors and medical facilities.

• A large  multi-use room for “all team” meetings, conferences and banquets.  This room could also serve as a  rental venue designed to hold 500 or more.  Divided into smaller sections you could have more rental rooms for smaller events.

• Parking is a must. There needs to be plenty of parking with lights and noticeable green space for tailgating and picnics.  Development of recreational areas outside of the field such as playgrounds, basketball and soccer fields could become a huge asset to the complex.

• Perimeter development will be the cornerstone of this project.  Seeking out national food chains, local businesses and even a few hotels could offer some much needed change to the general area as well as a huge economic impact to the City of Birmingham.

• Now lets talk security. The perception of Birmingham not being a safe city has probably done more damage than anyone could imagine.  Despite the efforts of Chief Roper and the wonderful staff in blue the perception of crime in Birmingham has driven out both black and white citizens so there is a need to really step up the efforts to show the city in a new light.  A Legion Field Sports Complex Police Branch would be a create fit for this facility. Give the officers access to use the work out facility and encourage them to be participate in the centers activities. Police officers could serve as great mentors to many of these student athletes making their presence even more valuable.

Branding & Marketing becomes a very important item in the overall plan.  Successfully marketing the venue to  secure long-term tenants, sponsors, patrons, students and out of town guest should be a top concern.  

• Develop a crest or logo that has the permanent markings of the high school mascots from the Birmingham City High Schools.

• Sponsorships become a much easier challenge. Instead of different groups representing each school or team potential sponsors now have a collective opportunity for sponsors to reap the most rewards from the money they spend.   What business would not jump at the thought of reaching hundreds of thousands of potential clients each year through signage, digital displays and the many other promotional opportunities that will surface with such a complex.

• Reach out to the experts.  Again, this is where partnerships and people playing nice needs to come into play.  The City, County and School Board certainly need to be at the table with a willing attitude.  Successful event managers like The Bruno’s Event Team, Silverstone International and a few other sports related agencies could play a huge role in promoting the facility to local businesses, the community and potential patrons to fill the stadium seats.

Transportation: Let’s not stop with just the nice facility but a nice transportation system which could be housed at Legion Field.  This system would feature state-of -the-art buses decorated with the combined crest or logo and digital displays to indicate the team that is being transported.  Seek support from the BJCTA or again, local sponsors and alumni.  With only seven high schools in the system there could be a customized bus for each school.

Filling the seats: Finally once everything is in place the issue of filling the stadium seats will be at hand.  This is certainly a marketing issue which needs to employ some very good minds with a challenging problem but of course I have some suggestions!

• The Birmingham Football Classic.  This is a pre-season event designed to generate excitement among the city’s football programs. This is an opportunity to see the high school teams in action before the regular season.

• All Star Football Classic is a post season event that pits the best representatives from each school against all-stars from another city or state.

• Alumni seating and team sections could provide a great opportunity to increase the synergy and support from Alumni which could lead to more tickets or even season passes.   Even those alumni that have moved out of the area maybe more interested in supporting or even giving to an effort that offers such a great opportunity for student athletes and the community.

• The Battle of the Bands will continue to grow and despite the negative press is a great event as far as I am concerned.  Having high school students network with college students is a great thing that could help many of these young people decide what it is they want to do after high school.  Now I realize there have been problems in the past but I think the organizers have the best interest of the city in mind.  A little more support from the community and I think this event could bring people in from all over the state and eventually turn into a mega college fair showcasing not only the bands but great academic programs at a number of HBCUs.

What about UAB? Since most UAB games are played on a Saturday this could continue to be the home of the Blazers.  UAB becomes a fourth and vested partner in the facility with the City of Birmingham, County and the Birmingham School Board.  The ability to have access to top student athletes as well as students in general becomes a huge part of UAB’s goal to grow the college and support the local schools district.

Sure this idea is expensive and maybe a little far fetched but the way I see it is that this is simply an investment in Birmingham’s youth.   Please feel free to share this idea with anyone that has the will to pursue it, the charisma to get it done and the integrity to not get greedy.