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PELHAM – Pelham High School football player Xavier Lankford said he’s been in the school’s new field house every day since it opened and each time he sees something in the 16,247-square-foot facility that he never saw the previous visits.

“It’s so big that I still feel like there are some parts of it that I haven’t seen yet,” he said. “So far, my favorite part is the locker room.”

The first time he saw the facility he remembers thinking how amazing it is and was grateful to be a part of PHS athletics.

“I’m just really thankful that we could have something like this,” he said. “It’s really a blessing and I’m glad to be a witness to all of it.”

A steady stream of people made their way into the new field house on Thursday, Dec. 6, during an open house from 4-6 p.m. Pelham City Schools Athletic Director Kim Kiel said there are still a few things that need to be done, like putting jump ropes and hurdles in the facility and going through a final check list with the contractor, but for the most part it’s complete.

The facility features a multipurpose room with weight training equipment and 10 yards of turf, a large team meeting room with a partition for smaller group meetings, a customized shelving system for athletic gear storage, separate locker rooms, showers and restrooms for the team and coaches, coaches offices, a kitchenette, a physical therapy room and much more.

“This space is more than adequate for anything we could possibly think of,” Kiel said.

Football head coach Tom Causey said he’s very proud of the facility and it will have a positive effect on every athlete on the school’s campus.

“We’re excited to have our own space, not because we want to separate ourselves from the other sports, but because we want to teach our kids to take pride in and take care of what’s theirs,” he said. “We’ve never had anything like this before, so we want to teach them responsibility, to keep it clean and neat.”

Causey said the facility has already been very useful.

“Now we have a place to practice in the off season when it’s 29 degrees outside,” he said. “I hate to have them outside when it’s that cold.”

PCS Superintendent Dr. Scott Coefield said the facility will be used by about half of the school’s students – the amount of kids involved in a sport.

Up next, the school board plans to renovate the school’s old field house, which is about 9,000 square feet, for boys and girls soccer and track. Right now, the system is waiting on the design plans for the facility to be approved by the state. The project is expected to cost $50,000 at the most.

“This is a very exciting time for PCS athletics,” Kiel said. “This is a great facility for all sports to utilize. We’re very thankful to the board and Dr. Coefield for building this facility. It’s a great investment in our programs.”

To see more photos of the field house, go to ShelbyCountyPhotos.com.

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