Worst Ohio HS FB stadiums

The worst stadium we used to play at regularly was Paulding. Everything for the home team was pretty nice, but not so much for the visitors. The visitors locker room was always terrible, felt like you were in a tiny animal shed. The visitors bleachers back up to the fence of the baseball field, so the visiting team's "press box" was some open scaffolding set up on the baseball field and only sat the coaches up about 2 ft. from the fans in front of them. I think they've changed the press box since I was there last so that's not an issue anymore, just a bad visitors locker room now.

Their concessions did have some fantastic bratwursts though... Losing that was the worst thing about them leaving our league

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ghsknightsfan said:
awesome view at Triad with the countryside background. Madison Plains is similar. Paint Vallry is the best setting for a high school football game that i’ve ever been to. i love the view from the home stands at Triad.
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Yes been to a few playoff games at Paint Valley and it is beautiful. Even before they added turf, one of the one scenic venues around and the
music during the game creates a great atmosphere.
 
Tiger Alum said:
If you like your car being hit by extra points, the visiting team standing 10 feet away from the sidelines up against a chain link fence and visitor stands where you have to sit at the top (only 10 rows I think) to see the field, then I give you Westland.
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ditto for Southeastern High School in South Charleston. nice little stadium in town, but i remember the Greenon kicker hit multiple cars on XP/FG attempts during the game.
 
dograt said:
Bethel deserves to be on this list. Fortunately they are building a new facility and it looks to be very nice.
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And they will still be on the list when they finally do put in their field and stands....the ones that they currently checkuse now will be transferred over there..lol Check this out, the inept school board apparently are not math and finance majors in this time of inflation and budget cost and thought they had lots of money to play with and wanted all the bells and whistles for the new stadium like brand new stands, an all weather track, extravagant field house, and a synthetic rubber turf. when they found out how expensive this all was, 100000 dollars later their still cutting things. the all weather rubber track is a given, but they said will put in just grass instead of that weird turf stuff. Its little wonder why schools like newton, miami east, and even covingtons athletic facilities will always be head and shoulders above any athletic facility bethel has ever had. and given the school boards history with bad financial decisions and subpar facilties i dont look for anything to change unless you hit the board members over with a mallet for bad decision that they make. hell even russia, houston, fairlawn, botkins, and anna make bethels facilities look cheap. or any school for that matter.
 
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bellevuebethel98 said:
And they will still be on the list when they finally do put in their field and stands....the ones that they currently checkuse now will be transferred over there..lol Check this out, the inept school board apparently are not math and finance majors in this time of inflation and budget cost and thought they had lots of money to play with and wanted all the bells and whistles for the new stadium like brand new stands, an all weather track, extravagant field house, and a synthetic rubber turf. when they found out how expensive this all was, 100000 dollars later their still cutting things. the all weather rubber track is a given, but they said will put in just grass instead of that weird turf stuff. Its little wonder why schools like newton, miami east, and even covingtons athletic facilities will always be head and shoulders above any athletic facility bethel has ever had. and given the school boards history with bad financial decisions and subpar facilties i dont look for anything to change unless you hit the board members over with a mallet for bad decision that they make. hell even russia, houston, fairlawn, botkins, and anna make bethels facilities look cheap. or any school for that matter.
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they are going with grass? They aren't seriously moving the bleachers over are they? The football team can move the visitors stands over in 10 minutes.
 
BlasterMaster12 said:
Liberty Union. That place is disgusting. lol
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LU is rough. Driving the point home is how uncanny the low quality of the field and facility is for a middle-class district.

The hardest thing about LU, otherwise, is the lingering smell of the Newark Group plant (or whoever the new owners are. Cardboard products, refining of paper products.)
 
ohiocrew said:
Obviously, the "worst" stadiums are going to be those schools/football stadiums located primarily in very small towns, villages, or in rural settings. They don't have the infrastructure, financial resources or community population to warrant A-1 football stadiums. The subject of this thread is virtually a waste of time.
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I think the thread is in all good fun. Obviously its smaller schools with the "worst" stadiums. Being from and playing for a small school I KNOW our stadium was a dump, but it was our dump. Many of the teams we played were in the same situation as us and all of us would say the other schools stadiums were worse than our own.
 
ohiocrew said:
Obviously, the "worst" stadiums are going to be those schools/football stadiums located primarily in very small towns, villages, or in rural settings. They don't have the infrastructure, financial resources or community population to warrant A-1 football stadiums. The subject of this thread is virtually a waste of time.
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Welp, guess we gotta shut'er down. The great ohiocrew demands it and is too good for non-serious conversation.

Seriously, this whole website is a waste of time. Lighten up Francis.
 
StateChampion2012 said:
I thought it was built in the 1960's but I honestly couldn't tell you if it was or not. Idk where to look that information up
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“The Nest” or field house that houses basketball still might be from then, but the K-12 building they use now is on the newer side (I’m thinking <25years old). I just go there when our school plays them, so I’m not sure
 
bellevuebethel98 said:
Triad and ben logan are grade a number 1 in terms of bucolic scenery rolling countryside views that stretch for miles so you get a glimpse of all the messed up hilly, zig zag roads you had to traverse to get to these locations. one advantage of going to ben logan coming from the south as a bus driver is that you can bypass bellfontaine and take a semi circular county road that runs past mad river mountain underneath route 33 through east liberty and up the hill. to the school. ben logans field has the reputation of being uneven and one end. triads field has come along way, but it looks like a motorcycle dirt track from afar and their have been complaints of carbon monoxide leaks when in the pressbox. the semi adequat stands and surrounding hill give excellent views of the field of play. if your coming north on brush lake road you pass a campground and lake that looks like its on the set of friday the 13th and you pass a nursing home with a pond with a gigantic fountain in the middle thats right around the corner. locals call this place fountain park.
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I broadcast a playoff game from Triad and started to get a horrible headache in the second half. I was sitting right over a heating vent. You had to walk through the concession stand to get to the press box and I remember there was an ancient looking furnace in the back of the concession booth. They had the refs lockers right there in the back of the press seating area too. I'm sure I was getting CO poisoning.
I also remember thinking Brush Lake and those cabins looking like Friday the 13th was filmed there!
 
Some stadiums in Darke County (or next door) that are really bad

Greenville- The setup/field is nice. New turf, no track, stands run from endzone to endzone. The stadium sits in a park adjacent to the school. However, the stands only go up maybe 8 rows? They’re old cement ones that are falling apart. The visitor locker room is under the visitor stands and leaks/doesn’t have a restroom. Home locker room is in a utility garage I believe. I think there’s only 2 concession stands in the stadium, 4 urinals, and a total of maybe 8 toilets altogether. They are beginning to build a new field house, which will address most of these issues. Once that happens, it’ll be a lot better

Ansonia-Yes a small school, but visitor stands are VERY small, sit atop a hill that sits off the track a bit; very bad sight lines. Visitor locker room is in the school=a little bit of a walk. I’ve never seen someone cut grass like Ansonia does. The yard lines are short, as is a path for the hashes. However, the patches in between these mowed lines are tall and THICK. Really slows down the play of their opponent.

Bradford-Yes, a small school. The visitor stands are the old cement home stands. No actual steps/railings, so if you’ve got bad knees; good luck. Nice seeing a visitor pressbox at a small school, but it’s about 5 feet wide from front to back. Visitor locker room is a literal one car garage with a porta pot next to it.

Covington-Good size, but parking is not ideal. Visitors have to walk to the clear around the stadium for anything. And the way the visitor bleachers are, it’s basically one way in; one way out. I know there are other schools/stadiums like Covington, but for some reason it just feels compacted/constricted over there.
 
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ghsknightsfan said:
Triad’s old stadium complex was a dump. I can’t find a positive thing about it. however, they’ve completely redone it within the past year or two and it looks absolutely beautiful! looking forward to visiting.

Hallinean Field (Springfield Catholic Central) has bleachers that legitimately may be a safety hazard.

Fairborn Memorial Stadium, home of the Fairborn Skyhawks, has a very unimpressive complex for how large the school is. they are currently D2, but i can name too many D5/6/7 schools with much nicer complexes. however, I will say the grounds crew typically does a nice job with the grass, and i enjoy it being in downtown Fairborn. no reason Fairborn can’t play at the high school where the soccer/track complex is. it is a beautiful complex and they have plenty of room to add more seating on both sides.
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Have not been to Triad in many years, but I certainly remember trying not to fall down that muddy hill walking to the field! Glad to hear that it has been updated.

I have to agree with your assessment of Catholic Central as well. Not sure what its like today but coaching there I also felt there was zero separation from the fans. Always thought some irate mother might come and take me out.

As far as Fairborn goes I always thought the soccer stadium was pretty cool, but I don't think there is hardly any room for bleachers on the visitors side without falling off a cliff! The old stadium could be awesome, but it would take a lot of money and support that Fairborn seems to have a tough time generating.
 
Ericles said:
They now have a field at the school, but yes, that was a rather unique place to play. The one and only time I was there, the game entered into an hour and a half lightning delay about halfway through the first quarter.
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The last time we played there (around 2009-2010) the only lines on the field were marked every 10 yards. No hash marks, no lines every 5 yards, nothing but one stripe every 10 yards. I'm not even sure how the game was allowed to be played. Total guesses on where to place the ball.
 
FremontKeith said:
I don't think the Don is anywhere near the worst. But you're not wrong about the horrible visitors side which desperately needs to be replaced. Nor are you wrong about the home side sight line.

But how many stadiums have a Charles Woodson statue? :cool:
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I liked the “Don” but only from the home side. Parking in the surrounding neighborhoods was interesting. Good concession stand. Definitely an old school vibe.
 
wildcat71 said:
Glad Norton High finally got a new stadium. I remember the old one. Visitor bleachers sat basically over Cleveland- Massillon Rd! They were in such deplorable condition that a few of our Crestwood band members actually fell through the rotten wood!!
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Made huge improvements to THAT stadium. Check it out.
 
Margaretta in little ole castalia has always been situated next to a duck pond and scenic views of the church and houses across the pond which doesnt really identify as a bad athletic complex. However during home preaseason and early season games when its hot, your biggest worries are waterfowl flying overhead and mosquitoes. and being partially destroyed by a tornado some years back didnt help matters either. see Lake ala 2010
 
Galions Heise Park Field is located in a very cozy intimate setting in a city park with a meandering stream nearby and some cool oak trees just behind the end zone. One unique feature lies just outside the northwest corner of the stadium where the discuss ring faces an electrical substation. hopefully nobody that ive known has lofted a discuss that far to ever take out some electrical equipment in there.
 
Terrible stadiums
Brode Field
Buchtel Stafium
Orange Bowl
Coventry Stadium
Copley Stadium
Welcome Stadium
Garfield Heights
Clifford Stadium
Tallmadge new stadium and old one

to name a few
 
I think we win for oddest landscaping and goal posts. None of the doors work and that music is constant throughout the game. This is old. Visitors now sit on the homeside and by law are obligated to root for the hometeam or we'll steal their car parts. Ample supply of cinder blocks kept in the concession stand. If we run short, sometimes we just take a few out of the wall. The stadium is in East Toledo which is on the south side of the city across from the baseball field with the outfield on the old sledding hill.
 
Any stadium that only has stands on one side is a bad stadium in my book.

Andeson comes to mind for me.

Also light polls in front of the stands is another thing that makes bad stadiums.
 
bellevuebethel98 said:
Galions Heise Park Field is located in a very cozy intimate setting in a city park with a meandering stream nearby and some cool oak trees just behind the end zone. One unique feature lies just outside the northwest corner of the stadium where the discuss ring faces an electrical substation. hopefully nobody that ive known has lofted a discuss that far to ever take out some electrical equipment in there.
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I was just there the other day. Very unique with Football Stadium, HS Baseball and Softball in middle of playground equipment, aforementioned stream with bridge, tennis courts, and outdoor swimming facility.
 
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