Booster Stadium renovation proposal presented to Marion County School Board
Local News
2025-09-195 min readBooster Stadium: From Glory to Crossroads
By Staff Reporter
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Once Among the Best
When Booster Stadium first opened in 1969, it was more than just a local football field — it was considered one of the top high school athletic facilities in the country. In the front sat a football stadium, in the back a surfaced running track. Together they gave Marion County something most communities could only dream of: a central, shared facility capable of hosting large crowds and full-scale athletic competitions.
But in the fifty-plus years since, little investment has been made by the school board. The bleachers and press box aged, the restrooms and concessions became outdated, and the once-proud track in the back slowly fell into disrepair. Eventually, the track was ceded to the district's CDL training program — a critical career pathway for students, but also a signal that athletics had lost ground.
Today, the stadium that once symbolized athletic excellence is standing at a crossroads: Does Marion County restore it as a flagship community venue, or does it remain a patchwork site shared with vocational programs?
⸻
At this week's school board meeting, district staff unveiled renderings for a state-of-the-art renovation of Booster Stadium. The plan called for:
- 10,000 seats split between home and visitor sides
- A three-story building fronting 36th Avenue:
- Ground floor: classrooms and office space
- Second floor: meeting and conference rooms (rentable/public use)
- Top floor: press box and game operations
- Locker rooms, concessions, restrooms, and storage tucked under the grandstands
- A turf field and a synthetic track
- Roads and parking upgrades to finally eliminate the endless cycle of lime rock patches
The design was modeled after The Villages Charter School stadium in neighboring Sumter County — a facility purpose-built to meet FHSAA hosting requirements.
⸻
The sticker shock came quickly. With concrete bleachers running $1,000 per seat, a full build-out would push the project close to $30 million.
A scaled-back version — 7–8,000 seats, steel bleachers instead of concrete, no track — could come in around $7–10 million. Either way, the board made clear: most of the dollars must come from donors, sponsorships, and community fundraising, not the general fund.
⸻
Marion County schools currently rent outside venues like the World Equestrian Center and Southeast Livestock Pavilion for graduations and large events. A revitalized Booster would:
- Keep rental dollars inside the district
- Generate new income streams through concessions, parking, and rentals
- Position Marion County to host district, regional, and even state tournaments
For context, Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park reported $8M+ in local economic impact from just one weekend — the FHSAA Cross Country Championships — and $21M+ across multiple state events. A similar facility here could have that kind of ripple effect on hotels, restaurants, and local businesses.
⸻
The catch? Booster's back lot is home to the district's CDL training pad, built in 2017–18 with state grants and engineered for heavy truck use.
The full-scale "stadium + track" design would displace the CDL site — an optics problem for a program that just received hundreds of thousands in public investment. However, operations leaders said a scaled stadium (no track, nudged 60 feet back) could coexist with CDL by removing an old portable and a small storage building.
At the same time, the district is pursuing a new plumbing/electrical training building on the CDL site — another reason stakeholders hesitate to uproot it.
⸻
- Equity Concerns: Some residents argue dollars should go first to aging schools like North Marion, Lake Weir, and Dunnellon, where bathrooms, concessions, and fields are in dire condition.
- Concerts & Non-School Uses: Others see Booster as a potential concert venue or graduation hall, but district ownership would mean restrictions under state rules.
- Scaled Stadium: Many board members and residents voiced support for an 8,000-seat version with steel bleachers, modern restrooms, concessions, and locker rooms — large enough for graduations and tournaments, but financially attainable.
- Fundraising: There's strong belief that a broad donor campaign — from $10 bricks to million-dollar naming rights — could succeed, given the nostalgia and emotional investment Marion County has in Booster.
⸻
One piece of the conversation is hard to ignore: Marion County has no true competition-ready track facility.
- Trinity Catholic, a private school that charges the public for facility usage, is the only school with a surfaced track, but it lacks a pole vault pit and a second jumps runway — making it unsuitable for large invitationals.
- West Port and the new South Marion High School plan to build surfaced tracks, but with limited parking and staffing, they won't be able to host anything beyond small duals or regular-season meets.
This shortage hasn't stopped Marion County from producing elite talent:
- Alex Kay (Vanguard) — multi-time NCAA qualifier.
- Leigha Torino (North Marion) — ran for Duke and Virginia Tech, part of an All-American DMR.
- Anne Marie Blaney (Belleview) — NCAA All-American, now a professional runner for Brooks.
The irony is clear: national-class athletes are being developed here without access to a proper running facility.
⸻
Expect an updated rendering soon:
- ~8,000 seats
- Steel bleachers instead of concrete
- Upgraded concessions, restrooms, and locker rooms
- Graduation-ready layout
- No track (unless a separate solution emerges)
Simultaneously, the district will:
- Launch a formal fundraising framework (naming rights, bricks, sponsorship tiers)
- Continue the district-wide athletics upgrades already funded ($2M in scoreboards, bleachers, resurfacing)
- Seek state appropriations for new trades facilities at the CDL site
⸻
Booster once set the standard in Florida. Today, it's crumbling. The decision now is whether Marion County reclaims that legacy with a donor-backed, revenue-generating stadium — or doubles down on smaller, campus-by-campus fixes while Booster remains divided between athletics and CDL training.
What do you think? Should Booster be restored as the county's flagship athletic facility, or should it remain a hybrid site that prioritizes CDL and trades programs?
- School Board Presentation: View the presentation PDF
- School Board Meeting: Watch the discussion on YouTube
- Track & Field Training: Learn about the Ocala Distance Project and local athlete development
- Running Events: Find local races and running events with Radical Runs
- Running in Marion County: Explore our comprehensive Running Guide for trails and tips while we await track facilities
- Vocational Programs: Learn more about CDL and technical training options in Marion County
When Booster Stadium first opened in 1969, it was more than just a local football field — it was considered one of the top high school athletic facilities in the country. In the front sat a football stadium, in the back a surfaced running track. Together they gave Marion County something most communities could only dream of: a central, shared facility capable of hosting large crowds and full-scale athletic competitions.
But in the fifty-plus years since, little investment has been made by the school board. The bleachers and press box aged, the restrooms and concessions became outdated, and the once-proud track in the back slowly fell into disrepair. Eventually, the track was ceded to the district's CDL training program — a critical career pathway for students, but also a signal that athletics had lost ground.
Today, the stadium that once symbolized athletic excellence is standing at a crossroads: Does Marion County restore it as a flagship community venue, or does it remain a patchwork site shared with vocational programs?
⸻
The New Proposal
At this week's school board meeting, district staff unveiled renderings for a state-of-the-art renovation of Booster Stadium. The plan called for:
- 10,000 seats split between home and visitor sides
- A three-story building fronting 36th Avenue:
- Ground floor: classrooms and office space
- Second floor: meeting and conference rooms (rentable/public use)
- Top floor: press box and game operations
- Locker rooms, concessions, restrooms, and storage tucked under the grandstands
- A turf field and a synthetic track
- Roads and parking upgrades to finally eliminate the endless cycle of lime rock patches
The design was modeled after The Villages Charter School stadium in neighboring Sumter County — a facility purpose-built to meet FHSAA hosting requirements.
⸻
Price Tag: $20–$30 Million
The sticker shock came quickly. With concrete bleachers running $1,000 per seat, a full build-out would push the project close to $30 million.
A scaled-back version — 7–8,000 seats, steel bleachers instead of concrete, no track — could come in around $7–10 million. Either way, the board made clear: most of the dollars must come from donors, sponsorships, and community fundraising, not the general fund.
⸻
Why It Matters
Marion County schools currently rent outside venues like the World Equestrian Center and Southeast Livestock Pavilion for graduations and large events. A revitalized Booster would:
- Keep rental dollars inside the district
- Generate new income streams through concessions, parking, and rentals
- Position Marion County to host district, regional, and even state tournaments
For context, Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park reported $8M+ in local economic impact from just one weekend — the FHSAA Cross Country Championships — and $21M+ across multiple state events. A similar facility here could have that kind of ripple effect on hotels, restaurants, and local businesses.
⸻
The CDL Conflict
The catch? Booster's back lot is home to the district's CDL training pad, built in 2017–18 with state grants and engineered for heavy truck use.
The full-scale "stadium + track" design would displace the CDL site — an optics problem for a program that just received hundreds of thousands in public investment. However, operations leaders said a scaled stadium (no track, nudged 60 feet back) could coexist with CDL by removing an old portable and a small storage building.
At the same time, the district is pursuing a new plumbing/electrical training building on the CDL site — another reason stakeholders hesitate to uproot it.
⸻
Voices From the Community
- Equity Concerns: Some residents argue dollars should go first to aging schools like North Marion, Lake Weir, and Dunnellon, where bathrooms, concessions, and fields are in dire condition.
- Concerts & Non-School Uses: Others see Booster as a potential concert venue or graduation hall, but district ownership would mean restrictions under state rules.
- Scaled Stadium: Many board members and residents voiced support for an 8,000-seat version with steel bleachers, modern restrooms, concessions, and locker rooms — large enough for graduations and tournaments, but financially attainable.
- Fundraising: There's strong belief that a broad donor campaign — from $10 bricks to million-dollar naming rights — could succeed, given the nostalgia and emotional investment Marion County has in Booster.
⸻
Track & Field Reality
One piece of the conversation is hard to ignore: Marion County has no true competition-ready track facility.
- Trinity Catholic, a private school that charges the public for facility usage, is the only school with a surfaced track, but it lacks a pole vault pit and a second jumps runway — making it unsuitable for large invitationals.
- West Port and the new South Marion High School plan to build surfaced tracks, but with limited parking and staffing, they won't be able to host anything beyond small duals or regular-season meets.
This shortage hasn't stopped Marion County from producing elite talent:
- Alex Kay (Vanguard) — multi-time NCAA qualifier.
- Leigha Torino (North Marion) — ran for Duke and Virginia Tech, part of an All-American DMR.
- Anne Marie Blaney (Belleview) — NCAA All-American, now a professional runner for Brooks.
The irony is clear: national-class athletes are being developed here without access to a proper running facility.
⸻
What's Next
Expect an updated rendering soon:
- ~8,000 seats
- Steel bleachers instead of concrete
- Upgraded concessions, restrooms, and locker rooms
- Graduation-ready layout
- No track (unless a separate solution emerges)
Simultaneously, the district will:
- Launch a formal fundraising framework (naming rights, bricks, sponsorship tiers)
- Continue the district-wide athletics upgrades already funded ($2M in scoreboards, bleachers, resurfacing)
- Seek state appropriations for new trades facilities at the CDL site
⸻
The Core Question
Booster once set the standard in Florida. Today, it's crumbling. The decision now is whether Marion County reclaims that legacy with a donor-backed, revenue-generating stadium — or doubles down on smaller, campus-by-campus fixes while Booster remains divided between athletics and CDL training.
What do you think? Should Booster be restored as the county's flagship athletic facility, or should it remain a hybrid site that prioritizes CDL and trades programs?
Resources
- School Board Presentation: View the presentation PDF
- School Board Meeting: Watch the discussion on YouTube
Related Resources
- Track & Field Training: Learn about the Ocala Distance Project and local athlete development
- Running Events: Find local races and running events with Radical Runs
- Running in Marion County: Explore our comprehensive Running Guide for trails and tips while we await track facilities
- Vocational Programs: Learn more about CDL and technical training options in Marion County
booster stadium
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CDL training
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