Amherst Schools unveils naming rights deal for stadium

AMHERST – Upgrades to Amherst's stadium are nearly across the finish line. Work to the stadium – which included replacing the grass football field with turf, replacing its track and putting in new home and away bleachers – has been underway since early May. But when athletes take the field this fall, it will not just be at the Marion L. Steel Football Stadium, but the Spitzer Stadium, thanks to a naming writes deal inked between the school district and Spitzer Autoworld Amherst. The 10-year naming rights agreement will see the car dealership pay $25,000 per year to keep its moniker on the facility's scoreboard, main entrance, light posts and above the press box. That money will be put into a fund for long-term stadium upkeep and maintenance. The district is grateful for Spitzer's continued investment in its schools, Molnar said, noting it also supports its Quarterback Club and Junior Comets. Several weeks of worth remain, Molnar said on Wednesday while walking around the stadium's perimeter. Crews were on site pouring concrete for the new entrance and ticket booth, others were working on the track, which will eventually be the school's signature green and gold colors. The track was paid for by a $160,000 anonymous donation, with the stipulation it be gold and green, Molnar said. The work still underway means Comets will not take the field for their first official home football game on Aug. 22, Molnar said. Instead, the team will play at Avon Lake. The team's first real home game will be Sept. 12, Molnar and Athletic Director Casey Wolf said – the pair agreed that having only four real home football games this season is a small price to pay for the revamped stadium. The stadium complex, once complete, will house the majority of the district's athletic competitions, including soccer, which previously played at the junior high's field. Those fields will be maintained, Wolf said, in case scheduling conflicts mean the soccer teams cannot play at the high school stadium. But once the bulk of the stadium work is complete, he said fans can expect to see JV and junior Comets football games and varsity soccer games all on the same day. The district will even host an OHSAA Division 1 district championship soccer game at the end of October, Wolf said. "This has given us the opportunity to host events and it helps our community," he said, noting fans from both teams will be in the city's downtown before and after games, bringing in revenue to local businesses. For the school's tennis teams, which played at Lakeview Park and other local high schools throughout the summer, the Comets will come home this fall to six tennis courts and four pickleball courts at the stadium complex. The stadium upgrades have been a topic of conversation throughout the city, Wolf said, and are exciting for the school's athletes, band members, cheerleaders and fans. Work will not stop with the stadium upgrades, Molnar said. In Phase 2, Molnar hopes to place a patio seating area on the far side of the field house and may include food truck parking. In November 2023, voters approved a 2.5-mill replacement levy to fund a new transportation center and upgrades to its athletic facilities, including replacing its aging tennis courts and making the football stadium handicapped accessible. Upgrades to the athletic field also included a $400,000 underground drainage system able to handle up to 100-year storms to prevent flooding at the stadium and abutting properties. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.