2009 state football finals might be last at Ford Field
Tom Markowski / The Detroit News
Picture this: Muskegon and Birmingham Brother Rice playing for the Division 2 title at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. That same day Muskegon Orchard View plays Zeeland West for the Division 4 title at Central Michigan University.
The next day Rockford and Macomb Dakota play at the "Big House," Michigan Stadium, for the Division 1 title, and over at Western Michigan University East Grand Rapids plays DeWitt for the Division 3 title.
This is not fantasy. This could be the last year the eight football championships are played at Ford Field. What appears to be the perfect venue to host the two-day football bonanza might be out as the games are moved to college campuses beginning next year.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association signed a three-year deal in 2005 to play its championship games at Ford Field. An additional two-year extension was agreed upon and we are halfway through that deal.
Not only has no contract been signed for 2010, no talks are scheduled, according to MHSAA executive director Jack Roberts.
Roberts said there are obvious advantages to playing the games at Ford Field. One, it's indoors. The championship games are played Thanksgiving Day weekend, on Friday and Saturday, and Ford Field negates the possibility of playing the games in freezing temperatures and/or snow.
It also is appealing to play the games at one venue to accommodate fans who look forward to watching all eight games.
"We love being at Ford Field," Roberts said.
But one must consider the economic climate in Michigan, too. Without being specific, Roberts said "there are enough advantages to playing at less expensive venues," like Michigan State, for example.
U-M has a turf field and the fact that Spartan Stadium has a grass surface would not be a deterrent.
As a test, MSU hosted a semifinal doubleheader last year. The field held up and Roberts said his association was more than satisfied that Spartan Stadium would be a suitable site.
