School Climate & Safety

$60M H.S. Football Stadium Deemed Unsafe, Sidelined for Season

By Bryan Toporek — May 20, 2014 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Less than two years ago, the citizens of Allen, Texas, were treated to the opening of a $60 million high school football stadium. Though some observers celebrated the new architectural feat, many felt the cost to be excessive and exorbitant.

As it turns out, the $59.6 million spent on the stadium may not have been enough. Earlier this year, Allen High School closed the facility indefinitely because of “extensive cracking...in the concrete of the stadium’s concourse.”

On Tuesday, Allen Independent School District Superintendent Lance Hindt announced that the stadium would not be reopening for the 2014 football season. Consultants hired by the district “identified design deficiencies in the elevated concourse at the stadium that fail to meet building codes and reduce the safety and strength of the concourse,” Hindt said in a statement. Those consultants concluded that engineering failures were “likely responsible for the majority of the problems in the 19-month-old stadium,” according to the district’s release.

Not surprisingly, the district isn’t thrilled about this latest development. They’re keeping a record of the lost revenue and expenses related to the stadium issues, Hindt told

A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.