Du Four, friends reach out to improve Warren

Getting people to part with their money in these turbulent economic times won't be easy.

But Greg Du Four and his buddies are determined, and they believe they're pushing a worthy cause that will eventually benefit an entire community.

Du Four, a 1980 Warren graduate, heads up the Blue devil Stadium Club, which consists of about eight youth football dads from the Gurnee area. Together, and with the blessing of the school's athletic department, they are hoping to raise enough money within the next year - approximately $1.5 million - to completely renovate the varsity football facilities at Warren High School's O'Plaine Campus, which were first used in 1967.

They'll make a big informational pitch tonight at Warren's home game against Lake Zurich. Since it's Homecoming, Du Four hopes to be able to reach out to a lot of alumni.

"We'll have a table at the entrance to the home side," said Du Four, president of the Stadium Club, which formed in January. "We really want to use the opportunity of Homecoming to get the word out."

The group's goals are extensive, starting with the grass field, which would be replaced with the popular artificial turf that has been installed at several other Lake County schools - including Carmel, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, Stevenson, Grayslake Central and Lake Forest.

The estimated cost for artificial turf is about $800,000, but if the Stadium Club can get a local excavating company to donate its time and services, the price tag would be much less.

Also on the agenda is replacing the lights on the grounds, upgrading the visiting bleachers and adding an on-site team building.

If there is enough money left over, the press box will also get some attention.

"This is about keeping up with other communities," Du Four said. "When you compare the facility we have to other Class 8A stadiums, it doesn't compare.

"The lights are 40 years old, and the field is really unusable except for during a varsity game."

Typically, most high schools strictly limit the use of natural football fields since the grass can so easily be torn up, especially in inclement weather. The fewer people who use it, the better chance it will be in decent shape by game day.

"As youth football coaches, we go to some of these other communities and our kids get to play on varsity fields there," Du Four said. "But we weren't getting to play on our own high school field. That's really what started all of this up for us."

But along the way, Du Four and his buddies have realized that artificial turf could benefit more than just the varsity football program, or the youth programs for that matter.

"Right now, the field that we have is pretty much off limits," Du Four said. "The amount of usability that an artificial turf field can bring goes up by 10-fold, probably a lot more. It gives soccer and baseball and lacrosse and track and cheerleaders and the band an opportunity to use the field. You can even have gym classes there."

Meanwhile, maintenance fees at the school go from substantial to minuscule.

"Years ago, artificial turf was probably considered a luxury," Du Four said. "Now, it's almost the opposite. Artificial turf brings so many benefits, while grass is almost a liability because it's so limiting."

Du Four says that the turf and a refurbished football facility would not only directly affect the lives of many people in the community, but could also serve as a source of community pride.

Now, the trick is finding people in the community who are willing to pay for a piece of that pride.

The members of the Stadium Club have made up fliers detailing the project and are already starting to pound the pavement to get the word out.

"We're thinking that a big portion of the money is going to have to come from corporate donations," said Du Four, who has discussed with school officials the idea of "selling" the naming rights to the stadium or to the field. "Barrington just redid its stadium and we were talking to some of the guys out there and they told us, 'It's all about people who know people.' Someone there told us to find someone who belongs to a country club."

Du Four and his buddies are willing to go wherever necessary. They're also willing to do whatever it takes and to put in countless hours of their own time.

They're that passionate.

And get this: Du Four, for one, no longer has children in the varsity football program or coming up through the ranks in youth football. But he's as deeply vested as if he did.

"It's one of those things where you can make a difference," Du Four said. "You don't have the opportunity to make a difference on this scale very often."

Green is good: Not only would a new artificial field at Warren be perpetually bright green, the components of the field would also be green.

Several years ago when the installation of artificial fields was gaining steam in this area, Warren athletic director Mark Pos said that, no matter the benefits, he wasn't sure artificial turf would be in Warren's future.

Since the O'Plaine campus stadium is situated along the banks of the Des Plaines River, the field is often besieged by water when flooding occurs, which has been often in recent years.

There were concerns that the small rubberized ball-like components of an artificial turf field could then float back into the river upon its recession and possibly hurt the environment.

But Du Four said that his group has already been looking into that issue.

"I think the technology is changing to make (the field components) environmentally friendly," Du Four said. "If it still becomes an issue, we will find a way to address it."

For more information about the Blue Devil Stadium Club, contact Du Four at: bdstadiumclub@sbcglobal.net.