Madison football won't play home games this fall on campus after bleachers condemned
Madison High School home football games won’t be held at O.E. Roberts Stadium this fall.
Engineers condemned the home bleachers at the stadium, which was built in 1972, because the ground on the hill the stadium rests on has shifted the bleachers too far toward the playing field and is beyond repair. In 2019, they recommended blocking off one-third of the seating on the home side.
Instead, the Patriots will play at Mars Hill University’s Meares Stadium about nine miles away, according to Madison athletic director Rex Wells.
Wells said they plan to replace the concrete bleachers with aluminum ones similar to those at Enka and North Buncombe High School, which will take place after the football season.
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“This won’t happen till after the season’s over with,” he said. “We’re having to improvise this year. It’ll be ready for the following year.”
However, Madison will still play its soccer games at O.E. Roberts Stadium. Wells said Patriots fans will now be on the visitors' side. Then they plan to roll out portable bleachers onto the track in front of the home bleachers for opposing fans.
Patriots football coach Jamie Extine said he was disappointed for the seniors when he learned that they wouldn’t play home games at O.E. Roberts Stadium in their final season.
“It’s not that far off, and they’ll get to play in a good atmosphere there (Mars Hill University),” Extine said. "That’ll change things a little bit. Fortunately, we still get to practice on our field, so it’s a challenge but we’ll adapt and overcome.”
Madison’s first home game will be Week 2 against North Buncombe on Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Madison football won't play home games on campus, bleachers condemned
