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FC Delco proposes to fully fund turf fields at Coatesville High School; board requests draft agreement and stakeholder review

Coatesville Area School District Board of School Directors · November 12, 2025
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Summary

FC Delco told the Coatesville board it would fund new turf fields at the high school and asked to move to a design stage; board members requested written commitments on maintenance, field priority for students and protections for existing track and community use.

FC Delco representatives told the operations committee they will fully fund an initial phase of athletic improvements at Coatesville High School: three turf soccer fields with integrated baseball/softball configurations, lighting and storage, plus a possible phase‑two expansion. The club said the project would enable year‑round play, host tournaments that could bring economic activity to Coatesville and expand programming for underserved youth through scholarships and partnerships with local nonprofits.

Rob Elliott, general manager of FC Delco, said the club has been meeting with district athletics staff to craft a shared‑use model that reserves priority for school teams while providing weekday evening and weekend access for club programming. He said FC Delco has a history of scholarship fundraising (the presenters said the club has distributed about $800,000 in scholarship funding over the past seven to eight years) and described operational plans for tournaments — staffing, portable facilities and traffic control — to mitigate community impacts.

Board members and coaches raised several concerns the committee asked to be addressed in the next phase: the project’s effect on the district’s track throwing areas (Javelin/ShotPut), drainage and stormwater management, the impact on local youth groups (CKR Kid Raiders) that currently use on‑campus fields, parking and pedestrian access for students who walk from town, injury questions tied to turf versus natural grass, and the legal/financial structure of any agreement (maintenance responsibilities, liability, and repayment/termination clauses).

FC Delco and staff said the concept is preliminary and that architectural and engineering work would determine final layouts, resolve drainage and safety issues, and define a lease or usage agreement with specific blackout dates and priority for school functions. The committee conducted a nonbinding litmus poll and indicated general support to proceed with a written framework. Staff will draft a preliminary agreement, coordinate additional outreach to coaches and community groups, circulate the draft as an informational item for the November board agenda, and bring the item back to the committee in January (alternative schedule: January 13 committee review and Jan. 27 full‑board vote).