BIDDEFORD, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Waterhouse Field in Biddeford looked pretty rough like last spring. The bleachers were deemed unsafe and had to be taken down, leaving the fate of the storied field unknown.
But thanks to some help from the community, and from a neighboring school, football will return to Waterhouse for another season.
"The intensity of the game at Waterhouse, it's just different than any other field. It's awesome," said one Biddeford High football player. "The furthest fan away is only 49 feet."
The field as a whole will look a lot different after renovations are made. Exterior fencing is being added as well as a new scoreboard.
As far as the home bleachers go, a Biddeford athletic official says be prepared to make some adjustments. Construction equipment is covering the area, but fans will have a place to sit on the visitor's side thanks to a former rival.
After unveiling a new facility of its own last year, complete with a turf field and new seating, Massabesic High School brought in 600 seats for Biddeford. It was a five-year process for the Mustangs, but in the end, they were happy to lend the seats to the Tigers to get their season started on the right foot.
I think the perception is that we're all rivals, and it's kind of negative, back and forth, and just the opposite is true. All the ADs work really closely together to try and help each other out."
The bleachers, plus some major help from the community — hundreds of thousands of dollars of donations and dozens of hours of volunteering means Waterhouse Field will remain Tiger Territory for the foreseeable future.
"It makes you very proud to be in a community like Biddeford."
Officials say they are trying to raise enough funds to put in a synthetic field at Waterhouse next year so the other fall teams can enjoy playing there as well.