Upperman High Increasing Football Stadium Capacity

The Upperman High School football stadium will have room for some 250 additional fans by next year.

Upperman Athletic Director Ross Fanning said the seats will be added onto the right edge of the away side of the stadium. He said the recent success of the program has pushed the stadium to capacity in big games.

“That’s with any sport,” Fanning said. “That’s honestly with anything. If you have a great Broadway play that’s on and everybody’s talking about it, you’re going to have a big crowd. So it’s just, with anything you do, if it’s successful and it’s fun to watch, you’re going to bring a good crowd.”

He said he remembers the state quarterfinal game against Macon County where not one seat was available by kickoff. The plan, Fanning said, is for the school to add more seats to the home side of the field after this project is finished.

“We have a brand,” Fanning said. “We’re building that brand. Not just football, we’re building a brand as far as Upperman High School athletics goes and I think that’s a reason why, across the board, we’re successful. We’re all working toward that same goal.”

Fanning said the school is hoping to build a press box for coaches and media on the away side of the field as well once this portion of the expansion is finished. He said any time a team is making consistent runs deep into the playoffs, stadium capacity is going to be tested.

“It kind of builds a program for the kids,” Fanning said. “They appreciate it. Not just our community appreciates it, but our community right here inside the school. It gives more room for our community.”

Fanning said a bigger crowd and more space for coaches in an away-side press box sends a message that the school is serious about continuing to build a powerhouse program. He said Substantial growth in the population and the community has generated the push for the expansion whether there is room in the stadium or not, the growth outside of it is not slowing down anytime soon.

“It lets our coaches hear and our student-athletes hear that we are looking to build on and we are continuing to grow and just hang in there,” Fanning said. “It’s going to happen and we’re going to make it happen.”

Putnam County School Board approved the new seating last week.