See what $72 million can buy for a high school football stadium
Photo via @KatyISDAthletic
When it comes to football stadiums, money seems to be no object at times.
Teams are building bigger and better stadiums, with state-of-the-art technology each year.
We are seeing the evolution of stadiums throughout the NFL, college football and now high school football.
Katy (Texas) Independent School District, outside of Houston, just unveiled their $72.1 million high school football facility, Legacy Stadium.
The $72.1 million stadium, which seats 12,000 fans, will host eight football teams in the Katy ISD, where more than 77,000 students are enrolled.
Legacy Stadium was built right across the street from Rhodes Memorial Stadium, which was built in 1981 and has since been renovated. Games may be played simultaneously in these stadiums, in which case the game being played at Legacy Stadium will kick off an hour earlier.
The two stadiums sit on 43 acres in Academy Sports + Outdoors Student Activities Complex. Katy, Texas based Academy Sports + Outdoors secured the naming rights in December 2016 with a 10-year, $2.5 million deal, according to Houston Business Journal.
So what does a $72.1 million high school football stadium include?
Legacy Stadium's 12,000 multi-tiered stands will contain two concession stands on each side, two large men’s and women’s restrooms as well as two 2,600-square-foot locker rooms.
But that's not the only thing this mega stadium contains. The exterior lights up in the colors of the home team, as well as a $1.8 million state-of-the-art scoreboard.
The complex will host more than high school football games. It will also host soccer matches, marching band contest, concerts, banquets, movie nights and more.
Legacy Stadium took two years to build and is the most expensive high school stadium in the country, for now.
MORE: Check out how Legacy Stadium compares to some of Texas high schools' other mega stadiums.