Edward Lee McClain High School in Greenfield is not waiting on a contest to rebuild its athletic stadium. The school has launched its own Stadium Sponsorship Drive to raise money for the facility, the Scioto Valley Guardian reported on November 1, after McClain fell behind in the national voting contest that would have covered the project.
The drive offers four tiers of giving, according to the school’s announcement as reported by the Scioto Valley Guardian: Tiger Family/Champion for gifts of $50 to $499, Tiger Pride/Varsity for $500 to $4,999, All-Star/Purple & Gold for $5,000 to $24,999, and Elite & Legacy Partners for donations of $25,000 or more. The tiers are open to families, local businesses and corporate partners, the school said.
Supporters can give online through the school’s official sponsorship form or mail a check directly to the Greenfield Exempted Village Schools board office, according to the announcement reported by the Guardian. The school described the stadium as a hub not only for Friday night football but for youth sports, soccer and the broader Greenfield community.
The push follows a fall that put this Highland County school on a national stage. McClain was the lone Ohio finalist in T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G Lights contest, a national competition that would have awarded the Midwest Division winner $250,000 toward field upgrades on the way to a $1 million grand prize, the Scioto Valley Guardian reported in its earlier coverage of the contest. Voting closed October 25 with McClain trailing Menasha High School of Wisconsin in the Midwest Division, the Guardian reported.
As a top-40 finalist, McClain had already secured $25,000 and a T-Mobile-hosted home game celebration, according to the Guardian’s contest coverage — a foundation the sponsorship drive now builds on instead of starting from zero. School officials did not set a fundraising target or timeline for the stadium rebuild in the announcement, the Guardian reported.
What happens next: the sponsorship drive is open now through the school’s form and the district board office in Greenfield. For a community that spent October voting daily for its Tigers, the ask has simply changed — from clicks for a national prize to dollars from the families and businesses who fill the stands.