Plans For New Video Board In The Works At Nelson Field
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BELLAIRE -- The Bellaire Big Reds football team had a lot to celebrate this past weekend. While an overtime win over the Union Local Jets sent their fans home happy, Saturday also saw a check presentation at halftime which doubtless put smiles on the faces of the Bellaire faithful.
The Bellaire Big Reds Touchdown Club, a booster club raising money for the entirety of Bellaire High School athletics, presented the Big Reds athletic department with a $50,000 check Saturday to go towards the installation of a new video board for Nelson Field.
"There’s just a strong need for us to be able to just enhance the game day experience, but also just the event experience at Nelson Field," Bellaire athletic director Missy Tiber said. "That includes our football games, our commencements, our track and field events, just anything that may take place.
"This video board will be state-of-the-art and I don’t think there’ll be anyone in the Valley that has anything like it. We’re just in the initial stages. We know we need one. And the Bellaire Big Reds Touchdown Club has been gracious enough to make our first donation for $50,000 towards the project."
Tiber said the video board will be located in the south end zone, where the field's scoreboard currently is. Plans are moving fast for installation.
"I’m being aggressive," Tiber said. " I believe we can build it on our current platform that we have down there. It’s an 8-to-10 week turnaround from the time we’re ordering. I’m really hopeful that maybe late spring or summer we’ll see it up down there."
The funds from the Touchdown Club will also go towards new play clocks on the field.
Tiber, who took over as Bellaire's Athletic Director this year, expressed her appreciation for the school's boosters.
"The group of men and women have just been phenomenal," Tiber said. "They just love and support our community and our student athletes, and they’ve given nearly $100,000 to Bellaire over the course of the last five years. Just a remarkable group.
"This is just starting the process, and we’re hopeful that other community organizations and businesses will want to jump on board. We’re going to have the opportunity to do in-game commercials, playbacks, and all kinds of sponsorship opportunities for these local businesses as well. It’ll be pretty awesome."
Helpling lead the Touchdown Club's efforts are Norm Papola (President), John Vasey (Vice President) and Jim LaRoche (Treasurer).